It Takes Strength
by LiliansMalice
Summary: In nearly eight years time Link will wake on the banks of a river in Ordon, with no memory of who he is or why he's there. But what, exactly, happened? How does he end up in Ordon, a place he supposedly abandoned as a child, with no memories? Why are his memories even lost in the first place? Just what happens in the eight years he's away? Prequel to It's Not Easy.
1. A Child, Yet Not

_**AN: So here we are, another week another new story. This time one that actually**_ **was _on my poll. The winner, in fact. I'd just like to say, before we begin, thank you to_ Um I lost my name _for giving me the idea to write this. But what is 'this'? This is, as the summary states, a prequel to It's Not Easy, detailing Link's journey up to the beginning of that (well, more or less). I'd imagine you can read this on its own, without having read It's Not Easy (it_ is _a prequel, after all), but if you're at all inclined to read INE I'd suggest doing so before reading this one to come, because it'll kind of ruin the mystery otherwise.  
_** ** _And so, with that in mind, let's get this show on the road, shall we? Let me know what you think, and enjoy!  
Oh, yeah, almost forgot - _**Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, etc, etc. ** _  
_** ** _Now, for real this time, enjoy!_**

1- _A Child, Yet Not_

A wide, shining space, familiar in ways it shouldn't have been. There was water at his feet, reflecting the impossibly blue sky above. It made Link feel a little like he was floating, and could fall at any moment. Which wasn't the best feeling in the world.

Even worse was the voice that was speaking nearby, deep and cold and echoing with power. He couldn't tell _where_ it was coming from; when he looked he was alone. It seemed more like it was all around, hemming him in.

' _My hate… will never perish… it is born anew, in a cycle with no end...'_ It was a voice Link recognised, from nightmares and memories alike. Demise.

With a bright flare of lightning the pretty blue world fell to pieces, turning stormy and grey in an instant. Rain began to fall in silver sheets so heavy Link could barely see through them. In the flashes of lightning he could just about make out a shape forming nearby; huge, hulking, glaring at him with a pair of burning orange eyes.

Demise lunged, and Link woke up.

Blinking at the ceiling he lay still, the demon's laughter ringing in his ears, waiting for his racing heart to settle. He took a few deep breaths, feeling sweat begin to cool and dry on his skin.

In truth Demise wasn't even the worst of the phantoms that haunted Link, but he was definitely the most hated. For starting this whole thing, for creating the endless cycle that Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf were doomed to follow until, most likely, the end of time. Over and over and over. Reincarnated again and again, each time a little different but a lot the same.

And Link remembered it all. Every turn of the cycle, every reincarnation.

Sometimes they felt distant, with an almost dreamlike quality, but other times, like now, they pressed in close until his head felt like it might burst. He was pretty sure nobody was supposed to have this many memories.

Sitting up slowly Link rubbed his temples, squinting into the bright morning sunlight that flooded his treehouse. He'd forgotten to close the shutters again.

He covered his eyes for a moment, finding everything too bright, heaving a sigh. He felt like he hadn't slept at all. His head hurt, his eyes felt all scratchy. Parts of him that shouldn't have been aching ached, a reminder of old scars that he didn't have. He'd checked, but he had yet to gain a single scar from a blade, or a monster, or even just a regular old accident.

In fact, he'd never touched a real weapon with his own hands before, because Rusl wouldn't let him. He'd never seen a monster with his own two eyes either, because they never came near the village. He still knew what they looked like though. Or at least, he knew what the monsters from ages past looked like. From what Rusl said, they hadn't changed all that much since Link's last life.

Groaning softly Link let himself fall back, nearly smacking his head against the headboard as he flopped, rubbing his eyes a little before lifting his left hand to peer at the familiar mark on the back of it. Three neatly stacked triangles, the bottom left of which was a little more defined. His piece. Courage.

The lame one, basically.

So what if he remembered all the cool, heroic things he'd done in previous lives? Compared to power or wisdom courage just seemed… lame. Especially when all it got him was trouble, along with sadness and pain. Zelda never had to go through anything even close to what he did, and Ganondorf just got to have all the fun, didn't he? It was only Link who had to run around, picking up after people, doing whatever he was asked.

Link huffed, annoyed. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he get the cool magical powers, or get to be a prince?

'Good morning, Epona,' a familiar voice chirped from somewhere nearby, abruptly startling Link from his grumping. Apparently he'd left the windows open as well, if how clear the voice was meant anything.

Sitting up again Link swung his legs off the bed, stumbling upright before crossing to the window that overlooked the small paddock outside his house. As he went there came a high whinny from down below, as well as a bright laugh. Ilia was always way too happy in the morning. She had the fortune of being a morning person, Link guessed, though when he thought about it she was generally bright and happy all the time anyway, wasn't she? He never knew if he envied her for it or if it annoyed him.

'Good morning Link,' Ilia called when Link poked his head out of the window, blinking in the sunshine. It was a nice morning.

He managed to return the greeting around a yawn, lifting a hand in a half-hearted attempt at a wave. Ilia had been distracted, however, by a certain filly bumping their nose against her sides in search of treats, and didn't return the gesture.

For a moment Link just watched, half out the window, before he retreated to get up properly. He tugged on some clothes he thought might be clean and splashed his face with a little water in an effort to clear his head. It felt like it was going to be one of those days where he kept getting confused about where, or rather when, he was.

Ilia gave him a second, much more enthusiastic greeting when he emerged from his house, basically tackling him the moment he was out the door. He patted her back lightly, smiling despite himself. Sometimes she reminded him of Saria, other times Malon, but today she was just Ilia. Bright like the sun, unflinchingly cheerful, always with the scent of hay clinging to her clothes.

After a moment Ilia disentangled herself, holding Link at an arm's length as she surveyed him with a frown that steadily deepened the longer she looked.

She gave a huff. 'You're not taking proper care of yourself again,' she said, pouting. 'Are you?'

Blinking at her Link asked what she was on about, a little offended 'cause he thought he'd been doing pretty well recently. He was the only kid in the village who lived by himself-something that seemed to cause the adults no small amount of worry–and he was pretty sure he could take care of himself.

'Your clothes are all creased. They've got stains on them. Your hair's a mess.' Ilia was clearly having none of it. 'You've got circles under your eyes. Have you been sleeping badly again? Have you been eating properly? Are you-'

Yanking himself out of her grip Link turned away with a frustrated noise, putting his hands over his ears. She was so annoying. What was she, his mother? He could take care of himself!

When he asked her how many times he had to tell her that she only reply was, 'as many times as you like until I think it's true,' in an annoyingly sing-song voice that Link's hands did nothing to block out.

Making a show of ignoring her Link walked over to Epona, whistling her song softly as he patted her neck. It often bothered him to notice the similarities between his many lives, because if nothing changed then what was the point, but Epona was one constant he was always glad for. He loved her to pieces; he wasn't sure how he'd survive without her.

Fado had bought her a few months back, meaning to eventually put her to work on the ranch, but Ilia and, of course Link, had taken such a shining to her that he'd let them take charge of looking after her. The adults-Bo and Fado, mostly, but occasionally also Rusl–were helping to train her, but as with every lifetime she was quite the ornery filly.

Honestly, though, that just made her all the more endearing in the two children's eyes.

Rubbing Epona's neck Link pointedly ignored Ilia when he heard her step up behind her, until she wrapped her arms around him, catching him in a warm bear hug.

'Don't be mad,' she said, breath tickling the back of Link's neck and making him squirm. 'I just don't want you to hurt yourself.'

Lifting a hand from Epona's neck to Ilia's arm he patted it lightly, assuring her that he was fine. No one was hurting anyone. He just didn't like cleaning.

She harrumphed, not believing him. He couldn't really blame her in the end. When was the last time he'd tidied his house? Done any washing?

Small things like that felt insignificant in the face of his looming destiny. He spent most days on edge, wondering if today would be the day Ganondorf revealed himself and threw Hyrule into chaos.

He just wanted it to happen already, so he didn't have to keep waiting. It had happened when he was a kid before, so why not again? He was ready, he was prepared. So maybe he'd never held a proper weapon himself, but he had years and years of training tucked away in his head, didn't he? How hard could it be, really?

'Hey, guess what?' Ilia bumped her hip against his, having stopped hugging him while he'd been lost in his thoughts. When he looked there was a wide, wicked smile on her face. His mind immediately went blank at the question; he couldn't think of a single thing to guess.

'Look what I've got,' Ilia said when he just shrugged, pulling something from her pocket which she then dangled in front of his face. It took Link a moment to work out what it was, as it hung just a little too close to be in focus, but when he did he gasped in delight.

Reaching out eagerly he demanded to know where she'd got a _slingshot_ , of all things, trying to grab it. She danced away from him, waving it above her head.

'Borrowed it,' she said, using her superior height to torment him as she held it just out of reach. He jumped for it, but she just yanked it back so that his fingers barely brushed it.

He paused, raising his eyebrows. Sera had let her have it? He'd known the shopkeeper had had the thing for a while but had never put it up for sale; he'd figured she didn't want them getting it.

'Um, well…' Ilia paused, a brief look of guilt flashing across her face. It was quickly replaced by impish pride though. 'Maybe not borrowed. When she was distracted by little Beth I grabbed it.'

Link couldn't help a grin. She'd stolen it? Mayor Bo was going to be _so_ mad at her.

Ilia's face immediately clouded over at the mention of her father, though. 'He probably won't even notice, since he's always so busy with all his Mayor stuff,' she grumbled, pouting, and Link took the opportunity to filch the slingshot. She gave a shriek but he was already running, darting away towards Ordona's Spring.

Her legs might've been longer, but Link was definitely faster, snatching the lead and keeping it as he ran, giving the slingshot a few experimental tugs. It was a little stiff, but it just needed to be used. Why had Sera been keeping it if she wasn't going to use it? Adults could be so stupid sometimes.

As he staggered to a halt at the spring's gate Link called for a timeout, spinning to face Ilia who reached his side seconds later. He requested another timeout now that he knew she was within earshot, sucking in a few deep breaths.

Pausing Ilia watched him with narrowed eyes, glancing at the slingshot a few times before she gave a huff, folding her arms. 'What?'

He pressed his lips together for a moment before telling her that he'd realised they had nothing to use as ammunition. No pellets, or anything like that.

'Nothing to shoot either,' Ilia added as she glanced at the high walls of trees around them, before dropping her gaze to her feet. 'Are there any small stones we can use?'

Suggesting they could just shoot the trees Link scuffed his boots lightly against the ground in search of stones. There were a few here and there, but they all looked too big to use. He collected up a few anyway, because it was better than nothing.

'Maybe we could use something else,' Ilia mused after another few moments of squinting at their surroundings. 'Like pumpkin seeds?'

Knowing Jaggle wouldn't let them anywhere near any of the village's pumpkins Link tried to remember if he had one, frowning slightly. He was pretty sure he did, tucked away in his storage room. He couldn't believe that so many lifetimes had passed but his life still, somehow, revolved around pumpkins.

'Great!' Ilia needed nothing more when he mentioned the pumpkin he possibly had stored away, grabbing his free hand to tug him back towards his house. After a few seconds of yanking he fell into step beside her, handing her the slingshot as they went. She took it with a smile, tucking it back into her pocket before she picked up the pace, skipping along. It was at times like these that Link wished he could be as cheery as her.

Although, she definitely lost a little of her spark upon seeing the mess inside his house. After a good few minutes of disapproving looks and tutting Link caved, shuffling around picking up everything he came across while Ilia busied herself with locating the pumpkin. She returned victorious as Link was piling old bowls into the wash basin to soak, plonking the vegetable down on the table with a heavy thunk.

As Link collected up all his dirty clothes she set about scooping out the seeds, and he decided he was glad to have avoided that task as the not-so-pleasant smell of pumpkin insides began to fill his house. A passing glance at Ilia revealed her arms coated almost up to the elbows in sticky pumpkin slime, her face a crinkled mask of disgust. Still, she persevered, and following her example Link put a little more effort into his tidying.

Time passed, until all at once they were sat in a fairly tidy space, a neat pile of seeds stacked between them.

'Good work, team,' Ilia said with a satisfied smile, arms and face still flecked with drying goop. 'Let's go, Link!'

And go they did, once Ilia had washed up. Target practise along the path to the spring quickly turned to a deadly game of hide-and-seek, where the seeker got the slingshot and was permitted to use it on the hider. It was all very stealthy, or at least it was supposed to be. Muffled snickers and distracting shouts weren't exactly inconspicuous, but they were fun.

At some point Link found himself up a tree, clinging to a fat branch as he watched the path below. Ilia had vanished somewhere, looking in the wrong place, which left Link alone with his thoughts. He looked away towards the bridge that spanned the ravine between Ordon and the forest, wondering, not for the first time, if maybe he should just go look for Ganondorf himself. He was getting pretty fed up of waiting.

Plus, if he went now, maybe he could save Hyrule before it even needed saving. No one would have to get hurt, he probably wouldn't have to traipse all over the country looking for temples, Ganondorf would never get his hands on Hyrule. Not for even the slightest bit of time.

Hugging the branch a little tighter Link frowned, pressing his cheek against the rough bark as he thought. His life would be a whole lot easier if he could just get rid of Ganondorf early.

He was knocked from his thoughts, literally, when something slammed into the side of his head. He reeled, grip loosening. He flailed his arms, overbalancing. He fell, and the world tumbled briefly, a blur of brown and green, until he hit the ground. Hard. Someone shrieked as he coughed, spluttering as the air was knocked right out of him.

There came running footsteps before hands were gripping his shoulders, Ilia appearing above him with eyes wide as saucers. 'Oh my- oh Link, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Oh, goddesses-' she hauled him upright, peering at him as he groaned softly. 'I'm so sorry, that was supposed to hit the branch next to you. I got carried away, are you okay?'

The slingshot in her hand dug into one of his shoulders uncomfortably, but he ignored it in favour of getting some air back into his lungs. Then he groaned again, more to be dramatic than anything.

'Here, can you stand?' Backing up Ilia stood, offering him a hand. He took it, letting her pull him to his feet where he swayed a little, lifting a hand to rub the sore spot at his temple. Ilia watched silently, chewing on her lower lip, eyes a little shinier than normal. She didn't seem convinced when Link told her he was fine, offering her a wide grin. His head hurt, and his side where he'd landed on it, but nothing was broken. He'd just have a few bruises, which he probably wouldn't even notice.

'You fell pretty hard, are you sure you're okay?' She patted his bruised arm lightly, gauging his reaction, and seemed a little reassured when he barely winced. 'I think we should stop. Let's get you home.'

Link didn't protest, kind of wanting to lie down till his head stopped throbbing, stepping up beside Ilia as she turned away in the direction of the village.

And then they both froze.

'Are you two all right?' It was Rusl. Jogging towards them. Seemingly on instinct Ilia shoved the slingshot out of sight, exchanging a swift glance with Link who pulled a face. Then they turned to watch Rusl approach.

'I heard shouting,' he said as he reached them, just barely out of breath. 'Are you two- Link, what happened to your face?' His eyes latched onto Link, who rubbed his temple a little self-consciously, not saying anything. When he remained silent Rusl instead looked to Ilia for an explanation, and she squirmed under his gaze.

'Well I must say,' he said as he leaned back, folding his arms, 'that neither of you are doing a very good job of acting innocent.' They both twitched at this, sharing another glance. If they were going down, they'd go down together. 'Sera tells me the slingshot she's been storing has gone missing,' Rusl continued, expression going stern as he looked between them. 'And I know none of the adults have any use for it, and the toddlers aren't interested.'

Looking away Link pressed his lips together, rubbing his head again. Nobody spoke for a long moment.

'Ilia?' Rusl raised an eyebrow, fixing Ilia with _the_ look, the one that said he knew every thought going through your head. Ilia held his gaze for a record two minutes before she crumbled, slowly, sullenly, pulling the slingshot out of her pocket. Link sighed softly as she handed it over; the jig was up.

'Thank you, Ilia,' Rusl said, shaking his head slightly. 'Your father isn't happy about this.'

'Who cares?' Ilia grumbled, pouting and looking at her feet, which she scuffed against the ground.

'Ilia,' Rusl sighed, tone softening. 'I think you'd better go home now, young lady.'

For a moment Ilia just stood, glaring at the floor, but then she straightened. 'I'll see you later, Link,' she said, turning to him. 'Sorry about shooting you in the face.'

He smiled, shaking his head slightly, and then she was hurrying away, leaving him alone with Rusl.

'Link…' the man sighed, and Link could tell from his tone that he wouldn't like where this was headed. 'I'm disappointed, I expect better from you.'

It was Link's turn to glower at the floor, hugging himself as he ground his teeth. He was tempted to remind Rusl that he wasn't his father, but that felt way over the line. Rusl was the closest thing he'd had to a father since the Deku Tree, and Link knew both he and Uli felt he was at least a little like a son.

'Surely you realise stealing's wrong?' Rusl continued, dropping down onto his knees so that his eyes were mostly level with Link's. Link was then tempted to pass off the blame onto Ilia, but he couldn't do that. Wouldn't do that.

So he just stared sourly at the floor, waiting for the lecture to be over.

'Link?' Rusl's soft voice prompted him to lift his eyes a little, though he couldn't bring himself to meet the blue gaze he found there. He refused to say anything. No excuses, no explanations.

So what if he'd been playing with a stolen slingshot? He was going to save Hyrule someday, so couldn't he get a break? Why did he always have to be good, always have to be courageous, heroic? Why was he the only one expected to do the right thing all the time?

It wasn't fair.

He looked at the floor again.

Rusl sighed, seeming to realise he wasn't going to get anything out of Link, before clapping him on the shoulder lightly. 'Just don't do it again, all right?' he said, straightening slowly. 'You know stealing's wrong, I'm sure.'

Link gave a small, curt nod. Of course he knew. What ten-year-old didn't? He just didn't really care. Sera hadn't been using it- _no one_ had been using it–so what was the problem? They'd have given it back.

He didn't say that though, because he knew that wasn't the answer Rusl was looking for.

'Good.' Rusl sounded like he was smiling. 'Now let's get your head patched up, shall we?'

To that Link nodded with a little more enthusiasm, trailing along behind Rusl as he began to walk away. They passed his house, and Epona's paddock, following the narrow path down to the village. Smoke rose from a few of the chimneys, and over the burble of the river Link could hear a baby crying.

For a moment he forgot where he was. It came out of nowhere, and he stopped dead in the middle of the path, swaying under the sudden confusion. Rubbing his head he blinked at his surroundings dazedly. Everything seemed to be shifting; wherever he looked grass and sky and houses all starting distorting. Was this the Kokiri Forest? No, there were adults wandering around. Was it Skyloft? No, they weren't in the sky. Was it one of the countless other little villages Link had spent his youth in? He couldn't tell. _He couldn't tell_.

'Link?' the voice startled him, and lifting his head Link found Rusl watching him with something like concern from a little way away. He pinched himself, inconspicuously. He was in Ordon. _Ordon_. With Rusl, and Uli, and Ilia, and Mayor Bo and Sera and Fado and everyone else. That's where he was. Ganondorf had yet to show his face, Link was living a carefree life in the countryside, in the most prosperous Hyrule in a while.

Shaking his head slightly Link hurried to catch up, once more trailing after Rusl without a word. What was he supposed to say? No one would understand.

'Maybe you hit your head harder than it looks,' Rusl said as they started up the path to his house, glancing over his shoulder at Link. 'Are you feeling all right? You look pale.'

Link nodded silently, though truth be told he was feeling a little sick.

He couldn't stand this. He hated it so much. Always losing track of where he was, when he was. All the reminders of the past he found in his everyday life. The way nothing felt like it had changed in hundreds, thousands of years. Even after all his hard work, all the times he'd risked his life to make things _better_.

And then there was the constant wondering, the constant anticipation of what he knew was coming but couldn't warn anyone about. The fear of an attack, of everything going wrong. No one would believe him if he told them what was coming. They'd think he was crazy.

But it would happen, sooner or later. It would.

He couldn't let it. Wouldn't let it. Not to Ordon. Not to Ilia, Rusl, Uli, the toddlers… he had to protect them. He needed to find Ganondorf and stop him before he could do anything.

He had to, he _had to_.

As Link followed Rusl, treading the familiar path to the man's house, he made up his mind. If Ganondorf wouldn't come to him, then he would go to Ganondorf. He would end all of this before it even began.


	2. First Blood

_**AN: So, slightly shorter chapter this week, but that's just how these things go, right? I'd like to say a great big thanks to RyoKushei, silverheartlugia2000, and Um I lost my name for being the first to review this story, as well as to those who favourited and/or followed. Thank you!  
**_ _ **As a slight aside, I'm thinking of maybe changing my update schedule, because though I'm fond of updating on Wednesdays I'm not enjoying this whole fornightly updates thing. Would anyone be interested in weekly updates, instead?  
**_ _ **But for now let's get on with the story. Here's chapter two, enjoy!**_

2- _First Blood_

Link was leaving Ordon. It was decided. He couldn't sit still any longer, waiting for the inevitable to happen. If he went now, he might be able to stop it before things got crazy, like they usually did. Maybe he'd be able to keep everyone from getting hurt this way.

So he was leaving, alone, in the dead of night. He'd been planning for a week, since that sunny day with Ilia and the slingshot, but now the moment had finally come. With his bag slung over a shoulder, a borrowed sword hanging heavy at his side, and a blanket bundled under his arm, he was ready to go. All he needed to do was find Ganondorf. Find him and kill him. He had done it before, countless times. It would be easy.

He could do it.

Faron Woods had never felt as intimidating as they did that night, full of deep blue shadows and the faint rustle of leaves like voices whispering to him. In fact, he had never felt so afraid of a forest as he did then, making his way slowly across the rope bridge leading out of Ordon. His hand felt clammy where he gripped the handle of his lantern, its light stretching no further than the edge of the bridge. Everything under him was darkness; he'd never been fond of the ravine.

He crept on, half expecting-or maybe hoping-someone would call after him, stopping him from going. He felt bad for not saying goodbye to anyone, but they'd just force him to stay.

Plus, he didn't plan on being gone for long. It would be simple. Find Ganondorf, kill him, come home.

Simple.

A gust of wind blew by, setting the bridge swaying, and Link cringed away from it, tightening his grip on the flimsy railing as his hair blew in his eyes. The lantern flickered wildly, until Link feared it would go out completely. This bridge was the worst.

But he persevered, putting one foot in front of the other till he reached the other side. He paused then, legs a little shaky, hoiking his bag up before settling his free hand on the pommel of his sword. He'd… borrowed it from Rusl earlier that day. It was big, and heavy. Almost too heavy. Link could honestly barely lift it. It made him feel lopsided where it hung against his hip, but he had no way to secure it across his back as he was used to, so he'd have to make do.

The woods were quiet as he walked. His only company was the wind, which brought with it the occasional faint cry of a monster, never near enough to be a threat. Link told himself he wasn't afraid. A walk in the woods at night was nothing compared to some of the things he'd seen.

Well, remembered seeing.

Somehow it wasn't quite the same.

Chewing the insides of his cheeks Link paced on, swinging his lantern as he hummed softly to distract himself, already missing his bed, his friends, his home. He bit down a little harder before he could start thinking about that, focusing instead on his path. He'd only gone past the bridge a few times; occasionally as a dare, more rarely to visit the abandoned house just before the fields. Link had heard talk of someone planning on setting up shop there, but as far as he knew no one had yet.

It might have been nice, to see at least one friendly face.

As it was, though, the house was silent, its windows dark and empty. As he passed Link peered up at them, lifting his lantern slightly to see better. The orange glow didn't reach far enough, though, so he gave up and walked on. With his free hand he rummaged in his bag, tugging out the map of Hyrule Jaggle had given him a while ago. He studied it for a moment, wondering how long it would take him to reach the next hamlet. If he could reach it by nightfall the next day that would be best…

But he couldn't work it out, so gave up after a minute. Better to put as much distance between him and Ordon as he could, before someone came looking for him. He could just see Rusl charging down a road after him, maybe throwing him bodily over a shoulder in order to drag him back to the village.

Link wouldn't allow it.

So he picked up the pace a little, striding past the old house along the somewhat narrow path to the world beyond. For a few metres the walls on either side pressed close before they abruptly fell away and he was out, making his way into the fields. A glance at his map told him they were vast, as did memories of previous Hyrules. In fact, when Link took another moment to study the map, he realised all at once that Hyrule was actually a pretty big place. It might take him months, _years_ , to find Ganondorf.

It had been easier, in his past lives. Ganondorf had always made a scene; he'd been easy to find.

This time though…

Squaring his jaw Link shoved the map into his pocket, refusing to let himself feel disheartened. He _would_ find Ganondorf, no matter how long it took. If it meant he could protect Ordon, and maybe not have to go through what he'd gone through so many times before, then it was worth it. However long it took.

He ended up having to get his map out all over again a few minutes later, because he really didn't want to get lost in the darkness. The plains were big, and probably full to the brim with monsters too. For good measure Link patted his sword lightly, trying not to stray off the path he was following.

That was made easier by the fact that there was a small ditch on either side of it, though Link did stumble into them a good few times when he got distracted or his eyes strayed from his feet.

What could he say? It was dark, despite the lantern and the stars, which were bright that night. Everything was indistinct silhouettes, though occasionally Link thought he saw or heard movement, just outside the ring of light his lantern cast.

Really, then, he shouldn't have been surprised when the bokoblin ran at him. There suddenly came the thud of quickly approaching feet, which gave Link a few seconds' warning, and then it came careening out of the shadows, rusty machete held high. Its squawk mingled with Link's yelp of surprise as he stumbled back, fumbling for his blade, barely managing to unsheathe it as he staggered, nearly tripping. He raised it just in time for the bokoblin's machete to crash into it with a sharp clang and an even sharper jolt up his arm that sent him back another step.

Under the combined weight of the sword and the bokoblin's swing Link nearly dropped his weapon; in his desperation to not be sliced in half he abandoned his lantern to grip the weapon in both hands. It clattered to the ground but didn't go out, throwing strange shadows over the monster looming over him.

The bokoblin swung again. Its ear-piercing shriek made Link's ears ring as he just barely managed to deflect the attack, staggering under its force.

He started to panic. His mouth went dry, his heart sped up, his legs seemed torn between locking up or turning to water as he stumbled back again, with a jolt realising he was being driven away from his only light source.

This wasn't supposed to be happening. How many monsters had he killed, over his lifetimes? This should have been easy; it was basically the only thing he knew how to do.

But he could barely lift his sword. For all his memories of using weapons he himself didn't _actually_ know how to use them. The muscle memory just wasn't there.

He'd never killed anything before.

As the bokoblin advanced again Link sucked in a sharp, vaguely hysterical breath, hefting his sword up and swinging haphazardly. He'd been relearning how to use a sword from Rusl, but in the face of an actual attack all his lessons had vanished, leaving him with little more than his frantic desire to _not_ die.

There was another shriek as Link felt his blade connect, though barely, and he cringed back instinctively at the sound. His success only seemed to enrage the bokoblin as it towered over him, eyes burning in the lantern light.

Link swung again before the bokoblin could, mustering his strength to bring his sword down as hard as he was able, a weak battle cry leaving him as he did. By some pure stroke of luck his blade struck the bokoblin's shoulder; it hit something solid but Link drove it down, squeezing his eyes shut as his arms protested. The monster was screaming. Link felt like he might be screaming too. Something warm-he knew what it was-spattered his arms, his tunic, his face.

And then his sword was cutting through thin air. He stumbled from the sudden loss of resistance, eyes snapping open as he nearly ran into the bokoblin. He watched as it collapsed in on itself, crumbling to dust as monsters always did. First skin, then bone, then it was gone.

Swallowing Link took a deep breath, doubling over when a wave of nausea slammed into him. He retched, eyes watering as the acidic taste of bile filled his mouth, stumbling slightly as he coughed and spluttered. There was a soft clatter as he dropped his sword, leaning on his knees as he tried to breathe. He dug his fingers into the fabric of his trousers, head pounding, heart racing. Shutting his eyes again he tried to pull himself together.

This was supposed to be easy. He was supposed to know how to _do this_.

Clearly he didn't have the first clue. It occurred to him that remembering something and actually living through it were actually pretty different. Of course both of them were difficult, though. Of course they were.

He just couldn't catch a break.

Maybe he should go back. Obviously he was in _way_ over his head. If he gave it a few years, trained with Rusl some more…

Link straightened. No. He couldn't. It had barely been an hour yet, but he was already having doubts? He didn't have the Triforce of Courage for nothing, after all. It had to mean something, right? His courage was his own, not the Triforce's, right?

So he'd keep going. He would.

Scrubbing the back of a hand against his mouth fiercely Link gulped a few more deep breaths, his stomach thankfully settled now. He hadn't expected to react so badly to killing that bokoblin. But the feeling of slicing through its bones, it shrill screams of pain…

He wouldn't think about it. It had attacked _him_ , after all. What else could he have done?

Bending Link picked up his sword gingerly, then went to collect his lantern. Its flickering light revealed his hands now free of the blood that had splattered on them; it always disappeared when the monster it belonged to did. Weird as it was, it made sword maintenance a lot easier.

With a soft sigh Link sheathed his weapon, still hating how lopsided it made him feel. It had to be almost half his height. Not exactly meant to be wielded by a kid.

Link glared at it for a moment before he started walking again, sticking to the ditch on the left-hand side of the road. To prevent any more mishaps with the lantern he tied it to his belt, where it bumped against his thigh as he walked. The constant soft clanks it made were weirdly calming, as was the faint warmth it emanated.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, much to Link's relief. It didn't take long for his legs to start aching, or his boots to start rubbing, but he persevered, following the road as it wound its way through the fields. He took a few breaks here and there, ever on the lookout for another attack, but none came. The only monsters he saw were bombskits, but they just ran off whenever he got near. The rest stayed in the shadows, occasionally screeching or growling and making Link jump.

At least summer was approaching, which meant the nights were getting shorter. When the sun finally began to rise Link realised he could make out the next civilisation in the distance; a small cluster of buildings surrounded, unsurprisingly, by fields.

As the sun climbed higher and the word started to brighten Link blew out the lantern, noting with some displeasure how little oil was left in it. He probably should have stocked up on that.

Well, it didn't matter now that the sun was coming up. Hopefully the hamlet up ahead would have some to spare, not that he really planned on travelling by night again, unless he had to. That had just been to prevent anyone from Ordon trying to stop him.

When Link drew closer he found that the hamlet, named 'Field's End' according to his map, was just that; a hamlet. There was a large farm and a tavern for passing travellers, surrounded a handful of houses. And fields. There were a lot of fields. Why it was called Field's End when, _clearly_ , the fields continued on all around it, Link didn't know.

It was bigger than Ordon, and Link wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was true that he had memories of big cities, bigger villages-it wasn't all that hard for a place to be bigger than Ordon-but all _he'd_ ever known was Ordon. Its seven houses, its ranch, its river, all nestled in a little valley. The rest of the world was so big, in comparison.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Link felt almost intimidated as he passed into the village, skirting around a pair of hooded, cloaked travellers walking in the opposite direction. He turned to watch them go, wondering who they were, where they were headed. They could probably handle the outside world a lot better than him. For a moment he considered tagging along with someone, but the thought made him uncomfortable so he cast it aside.

So, tired and battered as he was, there was only one logical place for him to head.

The inn was warm when he finally managed to shoulder open its heavy front door, and quiet. There were still traces of sunrise in the sky, after all. They were probably just opening for business.

Taking a second to catch his breath from his battle with the door Link looked around; he'd never seen an inn with his own two eyes before. It was warm and dark in a cosy kind of way, with a low, beamed ceiling and small windows set at intervals along its pale walls. There was a smouldering fireplace on the back wall and a shiny bar opposite it, with a row of low tables in between. A couple of other people were already there; a postman slumped in a corner, a pair of Gorons seeming to take up half the room, a Hylian reclining on one of the benches.

Link made his way to the bar, clambering onto one of the stools when he realised he couldn't see over the top of it. Rising onto his knees he waited for what he assumed was the innkeeper to notice him. When she did she drifted over, a friendly smile on her face.

'Well hello there, child,' she said, her airy voice feeling kind of condescending. 'How can I help? Are you lost?'

Shaking his head Link explained he was just passing through, wondering how anyone could get lost in such a small place, before being distracted by the amusement on the innkeeper's face. Somehow, for whatever reason, he was being laughed at.

Was it because he was a kid? How rude.

'You're very brave, to be travelling on your own,' the innkeeper commented, in that same soft voice. 'The plains are no place for a child such as yourself.'

Link resisted the urge to say something rude, instead opting to tell her he was looking for someone, and that it was super important that he find them. She seemed interested at first, but when he asked her if she'd seen any Gerudo passing through her expression turned blank, confused.

'Ge-ru-do? What's a Gerudo?' She blinked, then smiled, laughing softly. 'Oh, do you mean _Gorons_? We see them all the time in these parts! A lot of them are travelling salesmen.'

To mask his surprise, and his disappointment, Link smiled weakly. She didn't know who the Gerudo were? Did rural Hylians not know about them anymore? He wasn't sure how long it had been since his last lifetime, but he was pretty sure most Hylians had at least known _of_ the Gerudo, even if it was just from stories or history books.

They couldn't have vanished since then, surely?

If they had, then… things suddenly seemed a whole lot more complicated.

Well, he could handle that. He was used to things being difficult. It seemed to just be one of those things that came with being the reincarnation of the legendary hero.

All the same it didn't stop him from slumping a little where he sat, unable to help a sigh. That, at the very least, earned him the sympathy of the innkeeper, who offered him a glass of milk on the house to 'ease some of his worries'. He took it gratefully, shifting about until he could swing his legs lightly as they dangled from the stool.

He decided, then, to head to the city next. It would take a while, but if Ganondorf was likely to be anywhere, it would be there. That or the desert, but Link didn't even want to think about how he was supposed to get there just yet. If he had to scour all the little villages and hamlets that were scattered all over his map he would, but he'd much rather avoid that if he could. Ganondorf didn't strike him as the type to settle for a life in the country.

No, he was more suited to invading castles and using _those_.

Link tightened his grip on his small wooden cup, scowling down at its contents. He'd make sure it didn't happen this time. He would.

Determined and set on his next destination Link wasted as little time as he could at Field's End. Even though the people were friendly, and he could have happily found a place to rest in its peaceful atmosphere, he didn't want to waste a single minute. Sure, he was tired and his feet hurt, but he could handle it. He needed to press on. He needed to find Ganondorf.

So with that in mind he finished his milk and set out. He wound his way through the little hamlet, looking around at the cluster of houses, every so often stopping to pet a few of the sheep he passed. They were everywhere, dotted around most of the fields that weren't full of crops or cows, some clustered close enough to the fences that he could angle a hand through to stroke their noses without having to go out of his way to reach them.

It made him think of Ordon, of helping Fado up at the ranch. He couldn't believe he was already so homesick.

To distract himself he fished an apple from his bag, not wanting to make the next leg of his journey on nothing but a glass of milk. He ate as he walked, sometimes tilting his head back to watch the clouds, very occasionally passing another traveller. He got a few funny looks, probably because he was a kid, but offered nothing more than slight nods in return. There was no point in getting worked up. He _knew_ he probably shouldn't be out travelling on his own, but he didn't have a choice. It was that or carry on just waiting for Ganondorf to appear.

And he couldn't do that. It was exhausting.

He'd definitely need to work on his swordsmanship, though. Last night had been way, _way_ too close. Thinking about it made his stomach clench uncomfortably. He could still hear the bokoblin's screams, feel its blood on his skin. Feel the jarring sensation in his arms as his sword met bone.

Link stopped walking as a wave of nausea rolled over him and he leant on his knees, holding his breath while he waited for it to pass.

Why was he reacting so badly? He'd killed hundreds, _thousands_ of monsters over his lives. Some of them while he'd been the same age as he was now. He was being ridiculous. It had just been a bokoblin. And it had run at _him_. He'd just been protecting himself.

Swallowing he straightened, rubbing his eyes as he walked on. He got the feeling it was going to be a long day.


	3. And So It Begins

_**AN: So, a slight change in schedule. Updates will no longer be every other Wednesday, but rather every Thursday. Because why not? I'd like to thank Um I lost my name, RyoKushei, and silverheartlugia2000 for your reviews... so thank you! Seriously, you're too kind.  
**_ _ **And now, on with chapter three. Enjoy!**_

3- _And So It Begins_

In the end Link didn't find Ganondorf in the city, but after that particular disappointment he settled into something of a routine. He travelled from village to village, from town to town, always searching, heading back to the city every few months to search there again. He quickly learned that the Gerudo were no more, apparently integrated into Hylian society if the sudden increase in dark-skinned or yellow-eyed Hylians was anything to go by.

It was weird, seeing the two peoples that had for generations been so hostile with each other mixed together in such a way. It was also a little sad, Link came to realise, that the Gerudo had effectively been lost to history.

But that revelation, and others, came with years of constant searching. He was growing up, seeing the world in new ways, _resenting_ it in new ways. Ways that hadn't been clear to his younger self, or apparently any of his previous selves. They'd always just taken their lot in life, happy to be the goddesses' little puppet and do whatever Zelda asked of them.

The sunny days in Ordon, carefree and filled with the desire only to stop Ganondorf from hurting those he loved, seemed like a distant dream. He felt bitter and old now, too old for his body, but too young in his experiences.

And when the day finally came, after two long years, Link was entirely unprepared.

He was aimlessly wandering the deeper parts of Faron Woods with half a mind to head back to Ordon, or maybe just to do some hunting, when laughter caught his attention. He wasn't alone. There was somebody else there among the trees with him.

Or rather, a group of somebodies, as he found when he followed their voices. Crouching among the undergrowth he peered through the tangle of branches that made up his hiding place, finding a small campsite nestled among the trees. There were six people there, their bedrolls spread in a circle around a lit fire, all laughing as if they'd just heard the funniest joke.

Six people, all of them with varying shades of brown skin and orange hair. If he were closer Link was sure most of them would have yellow eyes too. One boy, five girls, all probably a few years older than him.

Link squinted at the single boy, but beyond the usual Gerudo traits found nothing familiar about him. It wasn't Ganondorf. The relief that flooded through him at the realisation caught him off guard and he sat back on his heels with a sigh, absently rubbing the back of his left hand as he waited for his heart to stop pounding. It had started battering against his ribs when he'd registered the group's Gerudo traits, but apparently for no reason.

Bowing his head Link took a few deep breaths, wondering what they were doing so far into the woods, then deciding it didn't matter. Ganondorf wasn't here, so there was no point for him to be here either.

He was just turning to go when a branch snapped behind him, alerting him to a seventh presence. He spun, so fast he toppled over, to find himself staring at a pair of legs. He tugged his gaze up, up, up, to the person's face and-

And froze. Stopped breathing. His mouth went dry, his so recently settled heart stuttered and kicked back into gear, feeling like it was trying to escape his chest. Link didn't blame it. He wanted to escape too.

It was Ganondorf. He was staring up at the youngest Ganondorf he'd ever seen-he couldn't have even been twenty yet-but his angular features were still recognisable, his hair and eyes and skin all the same. Even if they hadn't been, the sudden prickling that had started up in Link's left hand told him what he needed to know. It was _Ganondorf._ He seemed vaguely surprised, but mostly suspicious, as he folded his arms and frowned.

'And who might you be, then?' he asked, raising his eyebrows as he leaned down towards Link slightly. He paused, though, when Link tried to scramble backwards, only to get tangled in the bushes he was sat in. Tugging his sleeves free of brambles he grabbed for his sword, trying to ignore how badly his hands were shaking, or how _absolutely terrified_ he was.

He wasn't ready. He wasn't strong enough, he didn't know enough. Two years wasn't long enough.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

Tearing himself free of any persistent brambles Link surged to his feet, an incoherent yell that might've been a battle cry escaping him as he swiped blindly at Ganondorf who danced back a few steps, looking startled.

'Whoa, kid, calm down-' he stretched out a hand and Link immediately tried to cut it off, vaguely aware of several raised voices coming from behind him.

Snatching his hand back Ganondorf scowled, before his eyes flickered onto something behind Link; his friends, probably.

'It's fine,' he called, voice still deep even as young as he was. 'It's just some freaked out kid.' His gaze slipped back onto Link, who was breathing heavily, arms already protesting softly under the weight of his sword. 'It's all right, kid, we're not going to hurt you. Maybe you should stop waving that thing around, eh?'

Link managed to growl out a few feeble threats, shaking his head viciously, and Ganondorf blinked a few times before sighing.

'Have it your way.' He stepped closer and Link stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over some of the bushes. A grin ghosted across Ganondorf's face before he stepped forward again, forcing Link backwards into the camp. In retaliation Link swung his sword, haphazardly, and the ring of steel on steel was loud in his ears as his arms jarred, his blade bouncing off of something solid and metal. Ganondorf's own weapon. Link hadn't even seen him draw it.

'I think that's enough,' Ganondorf said, and almost before Link could register the words he was flat on his back, sword knocked from his hands as easily as if he hadn't been holding it at all.

Wheezing he tried to catch his breath as laughter erupted from nearby, blinking up at the sunlight that wormed its way through the canopy.

'What's up with this kid?' Someone, one of Ganondorf's buddies, snickered and heat flared in Link's cheeks. He scrabbled blindly for his sword, his fingers just brushing its handle before a foot came down on his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. It wasn't a forceful blow, just enough pressure to pin him in place.

'That's a good question,' Ganondorf sighed, leaning over Link and blocking out the sun. 'Well?' Though he was cast in shadow with his back to the sun as it was, Link could still easily make out the eyebrow being raised at him.

Baring his teeth in reply Link twisted, trying desperately to free himself as he demanded to be released, flinging a few curses and insults at the group for good measure. It did nothing but get him laughed at some more.

'What a mouth he's got,' another one of his tormenters chuckled, sounding vaguely impressed. 'How old's this kid? Ten?'

Spitting that he was twelve Link bucked, kicking his feet in an attempt to hit one of Ganondorf's shins, knowing he was probably bright red from anger and humiliation. So what if he was twelve? That was basically an adult. He'd grown up countless times before this, anyway.

'That's really not the question we should be asking,' Ganondorf said around another sigh, and while he sounded amused at first that quickly faded. 'What were you trying to do, kid?' He leaned closer and Link stilled, cringing as the pressure on his wrist turned to pain. 'Just who do you think you're attacking, hm?'

Link wasn't sure what did it, in the end. Maybe it was Ganondorf's threatening words, or his frustration at his own inability coupled with his fear of the man above him. Or perhaps the strain of the last two years and all the memories that didn't belong to him, or this new humiliation over his failure. Maybe it was all of them, twisted together.

Link didn't know, but he did know it was enough to make him cry. Enough to drag from him a wailing shriek that hurt his ears as he thumped his head against the ground, frustrated and afraid and _exhausted_.

Two years. Two years for _this_? To be so easily defeated? So easily put at Ganondorf's mercy?

Spluttering and shuddering he tried to swallow his sobs, tried to catch his breath, aware that he really was completely at Ganondorf's mercy but unable to quite bring himself to care.

Everything hurt. He was so _useless_. And so small. It was maybe the first time he'd actually felt his age. Small and powerless, just a weak, useless child.

Useless. _Useless_.

Twisting his shoulders half-heartedly Link stifled a few more sobs, taking a few breaths before managing to choke out that Ganondorf should just kill him already. No need to draw it out, just do it already. He wouldn't beg, he wouldn't resist. So just get it over with.

At least that way he wouldn't have to go through the whole hero ordeal again.

'Kid, I'm not going to kill you.' Ganondorf seemed surprised, actually taking a step back at Link's words. 'Why would you even think that?' His companions had stopped laughing.

Confused, Link lay still for a few moments, swallowing around his suddenly sore throat as he blinked up at Ganondorf's swimming face. Was Ganondorf showing _mercy?_

That wasn't right. None of this was right.

Grabbing his sword Link hauled himself to his feet, swiping at his face with his free hand as he brandished his weapon at Ganondorf. He wouldn't be fooled. He had to _kill_ Ganondorf. It was the only way to save Hyrule, and himself.

When he swung his sword, even more haphazardly than before, Ganondorf deflected it easily with little more than a flick of his wrist, but he didn't fight back.

The gap between them was too wide. Link would never kill him like this.

So he bolted, making a mad dash for the trees before anyone could react. Vaguely he heard someone call out something, but he didn't make out any words over the ringing in his ears. He kept running. Until his lungs were on fire, until his legs were threatening to give out under him.

Only then did he stop. Dropping his sword he leant on his knees, sucking in deep, shuddering breaths, a metallic taste filling his mouth. He shut his eyes, feeling his heart pound, his whole body trembling. Then he sat, because his legs really were going to give out if he stayed standing for much longer, curling in on himself and wiling himself to calm down.

Once he managed to find some small semblance of calm he stood again, rubbing his aching thighs absently as he turned to stare in the direction of Ganondorf's camp. He wasn't sure how far he'd run, but he was willing to bet it was a fair way. Now he'd have to backtrack and try again.

Great.

At least he'd be prepared next time. He wouldn't be caught off-guard. He'd go in swinging, and wouldn't relent until one of them was dead.

The odds were seven to one, though. Maybe just charging in wouldn't work. Not well, anyway, because even if he could get to Ganondorf that still left his six buddies, who probably wouldn't just let Link do as he pleased. Definitely wouldn't, more like.

Scrubbing at his face viciously Link moved to lean against a tree, slapping his cheeks lightly. He just needed to think things through. There were lots of ways he could go about this, so he needed to pick the right one. Ganondorf may have spared him this time, but it wouldn't happen again. He wasn't the type to show mercy to kids, of that Link was sure. He'd been caught by surprise, and that was the only reason Link had managed to get away.

He dropped his head into his hands with a soft groan. He couldn't believe he'd run. He couldn't believe he'd started crying like that. Talk about embarrassing, bursting into tears in front of your mortal enemy.

Well, it had helped him get away in the end. The obvious difference in their strength still made him tremble though. He'd been disarmed and disabled so easily, in the blink of an eye. Ganondorf had barely even had to lift an arm to stop Link's strikes.

It was mortifying. It was _terrifying_. How was he supposed to defeat Ganondorf like this?

Link paused, pursing his lips as a thought came to him. If brute force wouldn't work, then maybe he needed to try a different tack? Stealth, maybe? Sneak in in the dead of night and slit the man's throat? Or maybe poison him? He wasn't sure how he'd be able to do that without poisoning the other six, though. And he couldn't do that. Ganondorf was the only one who needed to die.

With that in mind Link got to work. First he staked out the camp, from afar this time. He put all his previous childhoods, and their tendency to have been spent in forests, to good use, scaling trees to watch the camp from among their branches, up high and out of sight. He wasn't sure why Ganondorf and his buddies were camping out in the woods, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with the satchels he caught occasional glimpses of. When the sun hit them right they would glitter, gold or sometimes other colours, and the group were way too careful with them for them to not be of importance.

Well, Ganondorf had always been a thief.

After spending a few days watching the group Link left, combing the surrounding forests in search of plants he recognised from Uli's lessons or previous lives. Poisonous berries or other plants, as well as a few he could use for other things. If poisoning Ganondorf wasn't an option Link could always knock him out.

Or try to, at least.

He was a warrior, not an assassin. He had no idea how any of this worked.

But all the same, try he did. His stakeout of the camp had shown him that neither Ganondorf nor his friends left the camp often, and if they did it was rarely on their own, which lessened his options significantly. His conscience lessened them even more.

He was after Ganondorf, not Ganondorf's friends, so anything that would affect them too was off the table. He could maybe bring himself to sedate them, provided he found the right plants and managed to make the potion right, but poisoning them wasn't even an option.

And, to be honest, he wasn't all that fond of the idea of poisoning Ganondorf, either. He wasn't all that fond of the idea of killing the guy at all, but what else was he supposed to do? He had to. For Hyrule. What was a guilty conscience if it meant saving all of Hyrule from all the horror and pain to come? It wasn't like he'd ever felt good about sealing Ganondorf away in previous lives, even when it had been deserved.

He ended up sat among the trees for a good week longer before he could work himself up to getting on and doing something.

It took three more weeks for something to actually _work_. Well, not work exactly, but for Link to get lucky. Or what he thought was lucky.

He tried stealth first, sneaking into their camp in the dead of night when they slept and when whoever was on watch wasn't looking or had fallen asleep themselves. He got caught three times and had to hightail it to safety every time. They moved their camp after his third attempt, but he followed them. They weren't exactly the best at covering their trail. Surprising for a group of thieves.

After that he tried, begrudgingly, poison. He forced his conscience aside and got to work. Only for his homemade blow darts to miss or not even work, and the one time he actually managed to poison Ganondorf's food did nothing but make the guy sick for a few days. Which of course meant all his buddies watched him like hawks for a week.

Nothing he tried worked. After a little while his annoyance at failing began to outweigh his relief, until he finally decided to just charge headlong into the camp, odds be damned.

But then, on the day of his planned attack, he finally got lucky. Or at least, he thought he did, when he saw Ganondorf start making his way _away_ from the camp. Link almost couldn't believe it. Three weeks of barely leaving the camp, and _now_ he was heading out?

It seemed almost too good to be true, but Link wasn't about to let this chance slip away from him. He stayed up in his tree for a minute before leaving his perch to follow after Ganondorf. He went as quietly as he could, keeping an ear out for any of Ganondorf's friends and sticking to the most overgrown patches of bushes. A few times he had to duck behind trees, which were luckily tall and fat in this part of the forest, but he was pretty sure he was going mostly unnoticed.

Until, that is, Ganondorf stopped and turned to look directly at his hiding spot.

'I know you're there, kid. You can quit hiding.'

Link balked, cringing down further amongst the undergrowth as fear coiled in his belly. How had he been spotted? He'd tried so hard, why was he so useless? Had this all been a trap? He couldn't believe he'd walked right into it.

Maybe if he just stayed put and didn't move Ganondorf would think he was wrong, and move on.

He didn't, though. He just sighed. 'Come on, kid. You're not fooling anyone.'

So, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Link stood, pulling free of a few brambles that snagged at his clothes. He kept his back straight, trying to give an air of confidence. Even if inside he felt like he might turn to run any second. He'd already learnt how difficult it was to face this Ganondorf head on, but he didn't have a choice now.

'So what now, then?' Ganondorf raised his eyebrows, not moving any closer. 'Want to try rushing me again? Maybe shoot me with a poisoned arrow?'

Link told him to shut up and watched a grin flash across his face briefly in response.

'All right, no need to get worked up.' Folding his arms Ganondorf leaned back slightly. 'But seriously, what's the plan? Because I'd like to get this over with as quickly as I can.'

Feeling anger pooling in his chest Link scowled. He was being mocked. Dismissed, even. Could Ganondorf make it any clearer that he didn't see him as a threat? He hated that even after he'd tried so hard, he was still the one being looked down on.

And then he snapped. It was too much. Ganondorf was mocking him. All his carefully laid plans had been so, so easily foiled. Even though he knew he _had_ to do this or all of Hyrule would be in danger somehow he still couldn't do a _thing_. He was so fed up. Why was he even bothering? He should just let Hyrule _burn_ , because why did he owe them anything? Why did he have to get blood on his hands, why did he have to go through so much again and again and again only to be forgotten every single time? Nobody cared about him, not the goddesses or the spirits or the Hyrulean people, so why should he care about them?

He didn't care. He just didn't _care_ anymore.

He launched himself forward with an unintelligible battle cry that even to his own ears was more like a wail, thin and high, abandoning all thoughts of weapons as he charged with every intention of just _throttling_ Ganondorf.

Of course, he only got a few steps forward before he was face down on the ground, a boot planted firmly on the small of his back. He didn't really remember how he'd got there, but he knew he felt bruised, sore.

Turning his head slightly he tried to breathe, mouth full of the taste of dirt and blood. Had he split his lip?

'Kid, this is getting ridiculous.' Ganondorf sounded weary, and when Link struggled, trying to get up, he forced him back down with ease.

He was right. It was ridiculous. It was ridiculous that despite all his best efforts Ganondorf was still alive. It was ridiculous that he was still trying, still trying to save this goddessforsaken country. And from what? For _what_?

'You could at least tell me the reason you're trying so hard to kill me.' With a sigh Ganondorf stepped back, the pressure on Link's back lifting. 'Because as amusing as it is, it also makes my life kind of difficult.'

Rising to his knees Link spat dirt from his mouth, briefly trying to find the source of the metallic taste in his mouth. Turned out he'd bitten his tongue when he'd be shoved to the floor, or whatever Ganondorf had done. With that in mind Link shifted to glare at Ganondorf, who was now sat casually on a nearby tree stump, questions all over his face.

For a moment there was silence, before Link rubbed his arm against his lips and demanded to know why exactly Ganondorf hadn't killed him yet.

'Do you really have that much of a death wish?' Leaning his elbows on his knees Ganondorf peered at Link. 'Kid, you're not even a threat. You can barely lift your sword, and as far as being stealthy goes… well, it doesn't really work for you.' He sighed, cupping his chin in a hand. 'That being said, I'd probably be more inclined to do something if you were ruining my plans, or my work. But luckily for you, me and my crew are laying low right now.'

Link wasn't sure how lucky that was, really, but he supposed it had to be if it meant he hadn't been killed yet even after everything he'd done.

Maintaining a steely silence he kept on glaring, wondering how quickly he could reach his sword. It was lying a little way away, having been knocked from his hands. With his pride wounded he swore to himself he would show Ganondorf just how much of a threat he could be.

Sighing again Ganondorf leaned back, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. 'Clearly, though, you're not about to just give up. How many times do I have to ruin your plans before you tell me why you want me dead _so_ badly?'

There was another silence as Link pondered his options and tried to see the Ganondorf he knew in this young, almost reasonable one. It proved surprisingly difficult, so he went back to weighing his options. His newfound attitude of not giving a damn said he should just tell Ganondorf everything, but there was still a fairly large part of him that clung to the idea of saving his friends, saving his country. He felt torn between wanting to just give up and spill the beans, and making one last-ditch effort to kill the man sat across from him.

Well, his pride was still stinging and the guy _had_ insulted him, so Link sprang upright to make a wild grab for his sword. Apparently Ganondorf had seen it coming, though, because no sooner than Link had got upright he was on the floor again, this time completely pinned by the entirety of Ganondorf's substantial weight as the guy sat on him. Actually _sat_ on him.

Once he managed to breathe again, albeit shallowly, Link spat a few curses, tempted to beat his forehead against the ground. Honestly, why did he even bother trying? He was so fed up with this.

'Come on, kid. Give me _something_. It's not exactly the nicest feeling in the world, knowing someone wants you dead as much as you seem to.' Ganondorf prodded Link's shoulder and he growled into the floor, unable to do a thing to stop it. 'So what is it? Did I steal from you? Your parents maybe? Something precious? It would have to be for you to go to such lengths, wouldn't it?'

Link squirmed, just slightly, and then when he realised it was utterly pointless he took a breath and started explaining. He told Ganondorf everything. About their past lives spent battling each other, about everything past Ganondorfs had done, how close they had got to destroying Hyrule so many times. Maybe he sounded crazy, but he didn't care. Once he started he found he couldn't stop, everything spilling out like water from a busted dam.

Ganondorf, to his credit, listened in absolute silence. When Link finally stopped talking, hoarse and shaking just slightly from memories he didn't want to recall, there was a long, long pause.

'That's…' Ganondorf exhaled sharply. 'That's one heck of a tale you've spun there. Reincarnation? The Triforce? Kid, you've got one serious imagination. And you think I'm some ultimate evil's newest form?' He gave a low, somewhat shaky whistle.

So he didn't believe him. Link couldn't say he was all that surprised, though that didn't stop him from being annoyed. He'd just spilled his guts to this guy, and he didn't believe?

Squirming he demanded that Ganondorf look at the back of his right hand, where the Triforce mark was.

'Kid, it's just a birthmark. It's kind of weird, yeah, but that's all it is. And how'd you even know about that?' Ganondorf seemed suspicious but didn't comply, so Link set about worming his left arm free, contorting himself until he was able to pull off his glove with his teeth. Once he had he waved his hand in Ganondorf's general direction, his subtly glowing Triforce piece on show. He closer he waved it, the more it prickled, until his hand felt like it was going numb.

'Wait, that's…' Link felt Ganondorf shift, and knew he'd succeeded in at least getting the guy to look. 'How is that… what?' Ganondorf seemed at a loss for words. 'It's glowing? What the-?' In his peripheral vision Link watched Ganondorf crane his head round to stare at him. 'What did you do?'

Link, as calmly as he could, said that he'd already explained everything. They were reincarnations of the King of Evil and the Great Hero, doomed to battle each other for all eternity.

'So what you're saying… is that I'm the reincarnation of the most evil man in all of Hyrule, and it's your destiny to kill me?' When he finally spoke again Ganondorf's words were slow, ponderous. Sensing a chance Link squirmed some more, feeling a little like his ribs were being crushed as he tried to escape. For good measure he flailed, aiming a few weak punches at whatever parts of Ganondorf he could reach.

'That's just…' Link pause when he registered the alarm in Ganondorf's tone, as well as a twinge of something he was getting to know well. Resentment. 'So you've been going to all this effort just to stop something that _might_ happen? Just 'cause I share a name with some guy who lived, what, hundreds of years ago?'

Link didn't say anything, hoping his silence was enough of an answer, wondering how Ganondorf could not know about his heritage. Surely the Gerudo kept a record of their Kings, all of whom had been Ganondorfs, and all of whom had attacked Hyrule?

Ganondorf was silent for the longest time yet and Link twisted, trying to see his enemy's face. From what he could make out Ganondorf was frowning, though it was with a start that Link realised he was also shaking, ever so slightly.

'That's ridiculous. You're kidding me. No. No way. I'm not evil. I mean, sure, I'm a thief, but how is stealing from rich sods who don't give a damn about anyone but themselves _evil_?' All at once he surged upright and Link sucked in a huge breath, rolling away as he revelled in the sensation of being able to breathe properly again. Clambering to his feet he picked up his sword, turning to face Ganondorf who had wandered a little way away, disregarding him entirely.

Link scowled. He was being ignored.

Or he thought he was, until Ganondorf whirled, a horribly vulnerable look on his face. It was so out of place Link was sure he'd seen wrong, but a few cautious blinks later he realised he hadn't.

'Don't look at me like that,' Ganondorf managed after a moment, sounding a little choked. 'Who do you think you're kidding? I'm not him- them- _whatever_!' His voice rose, until he was yelling in a way Link had only ever heard when he was losing. Except this time it wasn't with rage, or in defeat. He was desperate, he was horrified. 'I'm not some evil sorcerer from hundreds of years ago, I'm _me_! Screw you, kid, what's destiny got to do with any of this? _!'_

He closed the gap between them, brandishing his marked hand. 'This doesn't mean _anything_. It doesn't control me or- or whatever. I make my own path-' he paused, eyes wide, looking almost _broken_. 'You really think I'm evil? That I could commit treason, that I could…' he trailed off.

And all at once, Link realised they were the same. Neither of them had asked for this. It wasn't fair. They weren't the goddesses' puppets, it wasn't _fair_.

Link couldn't fight this Ganondorf. And he certainly couldn't kill him. They were the _same._

Stumbling away, back to the tree stump, Ganondorf sat down, hard. He put his head in his hands and Link could do nothing but stand silently and stare.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

And that, Link realised all at once, was amazing. Things were different this time. They weren't following the same cycle, or treading the exact same paths that they'd followed a thousand times before. Ganondorf wasn't evil, Link wasn't a hero in any way, shape, or form. And they'd met long before they were supposed to.

So where were they supposed to go from here? Could they change things?

Could they, perhaps, change their fates?


	4. Tentative Alliance, Shaky Resolve

_**AN: So, I'm officially out of buffer chapters. Whoops. But I'd like to thank Xombie hunter, Um I lost my name, and silverheartlugia2000 for their reviews, as well as those who favourited/followed this week. I say it every week, but your support really does keep me writing. So thank you.  
**_ _ **And now, chapter four. Enjoy!**_

4- _Tentative Alliance, Shaky Resolve_

'No. No, you know what? Screw this. Screw you. I don't buy any of this.' Ganondorf was freaking out, pacing back and forth through the trees with a feverish kind of energy. Link meanwhile, having taken a seat on the abandoned tree stump, was watching with no small amount of amusement.

He couldn't help it. It was just so strange to see Ganondorf so obviously out of control, unhinged even. Link was used to feeling like everything _he_ did had been planned for, like he was the one being dragged along at Ganondorf's or Zelda's or the goddesses' pace, so it made a nice change to not be the one at a loss.

Ganondorf paused mid-stride, turning to stare at him. 'You seriously expect me to believe any of this?'

Not sure what to say Link just shrugged. There wasn't really any way he could prove a thing about his tale, so he was hoping Ganondorf would just believe him. Which was clearly something that wasn't going to be happening any time soon.

It was so weird, to be having a halfway decent conversation with the person he'd fought to the death against so many times before. Link was still struggling to wrap his head around the whole situation.

That made two of them, he guessed.

'And why _should_ I believe you?' Ganondorf seemed to be talking more to himself than anything as he started up his pacing again. 'You've been trying to kill me for weeks, this is probably just another trick or something. Well, kid, looks like you're finally doing something right.'

That stung. He was a _warrior_ , a _Hero_ , not an assassin. He wasn't used to sneaking around, using whatever underhanded means were necessary. He usually just charged in headfirst and stabbed whatever was in the way. It was more difficult when his target wasn't a hulking behemoth but an actual person, with their own sword and better skills than him.

Scowling Link explained, shortly, that the only reason he'd even been _trying_ to kill him in the first place was because of their history with one another. Ganondorf might not remember what Link did, but did he really not know anything about his heritage? About all the Gerudo kings that had come before him, who had repeatedly attacked Hyrule?

'Heritage?' Ganondorf halted, frowning slightly. 'Sure I've heard of the Gerudo, but they're just stories these days, kid. Stories we were told just to make us feel like we belonged, somewhere.'

Link huffed, annoyed. Of all the times for the Gerudo to disappear, it had to be the one lifetime where Ganondorf needed to know about them. Maybe he just didn't want to believe, so he was going to explain it all away however he could.

But Din, this whole situation was so weird. To think Link was actually considering trying to change the cycle he'd followed for hundreds of years, over and over. It had never occurred to him to try before, but then he'd never had lifetimes of memories crammed in his head before, either.

Would it even be possible? He didn't have the first clue about how to go about changing anything. If he left Ganondorf alone, alive, it was only a matter of time before things carried on as they always had.

No, he'd need to do something big. Something that meant Ganondorf wouldn't try to take over Hyrule, ever. The question was, what?

Maybe he could talk to Zelda, warn her of things to come.

He'd already ruled that out, though. She couldn't exactly arrest Ganondorf for things he hadn't done yet-not that she'd even have any authority of her own yet-and she was probably a whole lot more likely to just think Link was crazy. Triforce of Wisdom or no, it would probably be asking a lot for her to believe him.

Maybe he could just go back to Ordon? Refuse to fight, no matter what.

And let everyone he knew be hurt, or worse?

Chewing absently on his thumb nail Link watched as Ganondorf started pacing all over again, thinking. How could they stop something like destiny? Was it even possible?

Eventually Ganondorf stilled, running a hand through his hair before fixing his eyes on Link. 'Okay. So let's pretend, for a minute, that I actually believed you. What then? What are you going to do about it?'

For a moment Link just stared blankly, before he processed Ganondorf's words and spluttered. What was _he_ going to do about it? Ganondorf expected him to fix all this? Alone? That was ridiculous. He was a twelve year old kid and Ganondorf was- well, he was a teenager. Didn't the job of fixing things fall to him, then, as the older one?

'Hey, this is your fantasy, kid,' Ganondorf protested when Link said as much. 'Why have I got to solve your problems?'

Levelling a glare at him Link didn't say anything, not sure what he _could_ say. Ganondorf was obviously going to be difficult, and just arguing with him wasn't going to convince him of anything.

But Link didn't know how to go about proving his tale.

There wasn't really any way he could blame Ganondorf for not believing him. Link was pretty sure, if the situation were reversed, he'd react the exact same way.

That didn't mean he wasn't getting frustrated, though.

'Kid, this…' Ganondorf sighed, running a hand through his hair before rubbing his eyes wearily. Oh, _he_ was tired of this? 'How can you ask me to believe this? That I'm, what, doomed to turn evil and try destroying Hyrule? My _home_? I'm just a thief. Not a- not a killer, or- or a _tyrant_. I'm just a _thief_.'

Ganondorf almost seemed to be pleading, his expression stricken as he stared at Link. Seeing him like this, so agitated, tripping over his words and pacing and _pleading_ , Link was beginning to wonder if he even really _was_ Ganondorf.

When he asked, Ganondorf seemed taken aback. 'Yes, I'm Ganondorf, which is, I'll admit, something I don't get. I know you've been hanging around our camp for, what, three weeks now, but that lot-' he gestured in the direction of said camp, '-all call me Gan or Ganon. But you still know my name, somehow.'

Link scowled. That's what he'd been trying to _tell_ him. They were stuck in a cycle, Link and Ganondorf and Zelda, the Hero and the King and the Princess, all reincarnating over and over because of a dying demon's curse. An endless loop that the goddesses somehow hadn't got bored of yet.

Well, maybe that was why Link remembered. To shake things up.

The thought bothered him. If that were the case, then surely by trying to fight the cycle he was doing exactly as the goddesses had planned.

He didn't want to think about it. It was bad enough as it was.

'You're going to have to give me a bit more than just your word, kid.' Ganondorf sighed, his frantic energy slowly shifting into something wearier and more pained. 'Please.'

But there was nothing Link could do. Nothing he could say. Unless Ganondorf somehow gained the ability to read his mind he was pretty sure they were stuck.

Although, maybe…

Ganondorf didn't seem impressed when Link suggested a library. There had to be at least some record of at least one or two of their lives written down, somewhere. Someone must have written about the Gerudo, and as such at least one of the King Ganondorfs. It wouldn't be much, but it might be enough to show Ganondorf that he wasn't just making things up.

'I'm pretty sure there aren't any libraries in Hyrule.' Ganondorf started to frown, before something like realisation sparked in his expression. 'But I'm sure the aristocrats have their collections of precious books- actually, you know who _does_ have a library?'

Link shook his head when Ganondorf paused, obviously wanting a response.

He grinned a wide, darkly excited grin. 'The King. The Royal Archives, too. I hear he got them all fixed up for the princess. Apparently she's a total bookworm.'

That was probably true. It made sense that the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom would want to be surrounded by as much knowledge as possible. She could see the future, so why wouldn't she want to know all about the past as well?

But was Ganondorf suggesting what Link thought he was suggesting?

Sneak into the castle, break into the archives?

Ganondorf's grin widened when Link tried to clarify. 'That's _exactly_ what I'm saying, kid.'

And Link balked. He'd snuck into castles a good few times, but only ever the gardens. Going into the actual castle before it had been invaded wasn't something he'd ever done. He wasn't stealthy, Ganondorf had said as much, there was no way he'd be able to.

Plus it was- it was _wrong_. Wasn't it?'

'Kid, come on. All the stuff they have in there… they shouldn't be keeping it for themselves. They only ever let scholars into the archives, or royals. And _that's_ wrong. They have no right to keep the public from learning, especially not learning about the history of their own country.' Ganondorf shrugged. 'But what does it matter anyway? We won't take anything. We'll just be reading.'

Link narrowed his eyes, suspicious. Ganondorf was a thief, always had been, so he didn't trust him to not take anything. Especially not from the royal archives, which even Link had heard of. In passing, sure, but there were all kinds of stories about the priceless, powerful objects kept within the castle.

'What's that look for?' Ganondorf seemed abruptly affronted, though Link realised he'd been feigning innocence a moment later when he grinned again. 'So maybe that last part was a lie. Who knows?'

It suddenly struck Link that he was planning to break into the Royal Palace with Ganondorf. _Ganondorf_.

Was he seriously considering this? Was he seriously going to work together with Ganondorf, his enemy of so many lifetimes?

He considered it, and was surprised by how easily the answer came.

Yes, yes he was. He wanted to change things, so what better way to do that than work _with_ Ganondorf? They'd always been enemies before, so why not allies once? Ganondorf was proving to be surprisingly reasonable, and honestly the idea wasn't seeming as awful as it could have.

Sure, Ganondorf had caused Link a lot of grief over the lifetimes, a lot of pain and difficulty, but it hadn't, in the end, been _this_ Ganondorf. The one standing in front of him seemed as opposed to all of this as he was.

So really, what better way to change things?

'All right.' Clapping his hands together Ganondorf fixed Link with a steely look. 'If we're going to do this-and I can't quite believe I'm doing this-we'll need help. I need to introduce you to my friends, 'cause they're all the help we'll need.' He paused for a second, still regarding Link. 'Speaking of, what's your name, kid?'

And Link told him, because why not?

'Well then, Link.' Ganondorf stuck out a hand. 'It's good to be doing business with you.'

For a moment, or maybe an eternity, Link just sat and stared. Then he pushed away from the tree stump and took Ganondorf's hand.

'Same to you,' he said softly, slowly.

They shook. Nothing happened. The world didn't fall apart, the goddesses didn't smite them for it, Demise didn't rise from the grave to murder them or something.

There was still a moment, a brief moment, where past experience told Link that Ganondorf was going to crush his fingers or maybe fling him into a tree, but he shoved it aside. He shoved aside the parts of him that were screaming that everything about this was _wrong_ , too.

But then they parted, Ganondorf turning to walk away with his back completely exposed. After a few metres he glanced back, raising his eyebrows at Link who started as he realised he was supposed to be following.

And so that's what he did. He followed Ganondorf back to his camp, being careful to stay at a wary distance because he still couldn't quite believe this was happening. He kept expecting Ganondorf to turn on him or something, maybe fry him with magic of some sort. He kept wondering if he should take the opportunity and strike now, while Ganondorf's back was turned. But that was underhanded, and anyway hadn't he decided he wouldn't be doing that? Not this time.

In the end, then, they both reached the camp unscathed. Link hung back amongst the undergrowth as Ganondorf's friends noticed him and all started talking at once, voices all mingling together until it was hard to make out specific words without concentrating.

'It's fine, I'm fine,' Ganondorf eventually said around a chuckle. 'But I do have something to tell you that you probably won't approve of.'

That got a few grumbles that made Link wonder if Ganondorf doing stuff like this was a usual occurrence.

Glancing over his shoulder at Link Ganondorf beckoned. 'You can hide if you like, but it won't exactly get us anywhere.'

All the same Link still hovered for a good minute longer, pretty sure Ganondorf's friends wouldn't take all that well to his being there. He had, after all, tried to kill one of them many, many times.

So when he did emerge from the undergrowth he wasn't all that surprised by the looks of shock, confusion, or faint horror that appeared on the six waiting faces. He was a little surprised that it didn't go any further than that, though. No one tried to drive him away, or maybe catch him. They really hadn't seen him as a threat, had they?

'Isn't this the kid who's been trying to kill you for like a month?' one of the girls asked, resting a hand on her hip as she dragged her eyes-brown-up and down Link. He squirmed under her gaze-all of their gazes, really-fiddling with the straps of his bag as he waited for them to be done.

'Yeah.' Ganondorf nodded, tone too casual for the topic.

'And you've invited him back to our camp… why?' the other boy spoke next, frowning at Ganondorf.

'Because he's going to help me break into the palace library. Maybe the Royal Archives too.'

And all at once they were all talking again. Or rather they were all either protesting or complaining. Apparently that was too much even for a band of thieves.

'Are you kidding me?' the girl whose hair was more yellow than orange complained, shaking her head. 'Who's the one always saying we _shouldn't_ steal from the royals? Because it's too _dangerous_?'

'And now you want to? For, what, _books_?' another chimed in, distinctly unimpressed.

Ganondorf made a noise of protest. 'Do you know how much some people would pay for books? Or for the other stuff that's probably in there?'

They quietened at the thought of a big reward, all glancing at once another, none of them looking pleased by this turn of events. Link stayed hovering a little way behind Ganondorf, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Ganondorf, _Ganondorf,_ was apparently _defending_ him.

'Give us a good reason to help,' one of the girls-this Hyrule's Nabooru, Link realised with a start-said after a minute. 'Otherwise no deal.'

That got a few nods while Ganondorf huffed, glancing back at Link again. 'Can't you just trust me on this one?'

'No deal it is, then,' Nabooru said, smiling into Ganondorf's annoyed look. 'Just send the kid on his way and be done with it.'

'Oh come _on_.' Folding his arms Ganondorf glared around at them all, Link included. 'Look, I can't really give you a reason that won't make us both sound completely bonkers, but can you at least believe me when I say it's important?'

There was silence, filled with more glances being exchanged.

' _How_ important?' the other boy asked eventually, tawny eyes flitting between Ganondorf and Link.

'You always cave so easily, Kian,' Nabooru muttered, but when she looked back to Ganondorf her expression was just as expectant.

'Well… maybe save the world important?' Ganondorf offered with another glance at Link, earning himself a chorus of scoffs and complaints as he did. 'I'm serious!'

Frowning Link eyed Ganondorf's back, trying to work out if the guy actually believed him or not. It seemed like he might, at least tentatively, even if he was demanding proof of some description.

Well, that was better than outright _disbelief_ , at least.

'You sure know how to twist our altruistic arms,' one of the girls sighed as she tugged lightly on her long braid. 'I guess it wouldn't hurt, would it?'

'Are you kidding me?' Nabooru's voice, and face, was incredulous. 'Think about what would happen if we got _caught_. This isn't just some lord's mansion, this is the _royal castle_. Trespassing could get us beheaded.'

'Since when do you think about what happens when we get caught?' Ganondorf protested. 'If we go about it properly it'll be no different from any lord's mansion. And when have we _ever_ got caught?'

It took a little more arguing, which Link watched with interest, but eventually Ganondorf managed to convince them to at least think about helping. It took a threat of doing it all himself-an idea that seemed to horrify the six-to get their cautious agreement.

And then Link found himself being introduced. Aside from Nabooru he forgot all of their names almost immediately, not for lack of trying, but they were new to him and he couldn't place any of them in his lifetimes of memories, so their names and faces didn't quite stick.

It was nice, being around people who didn't remind him of anyone he remembered. Anyone he'd lost. Finding something, or someone, new was refreshing.

But also very nerve-wracking. He didn't know these people at all, and he found himself feeling surprisingly shy as he loitered at the edge of their camp, watching as they came up with a plan of action. He didn't want to get close, and he knew they didn't want him closer given his many assassination attempts, so he was stuck hovering awkwardly. After a little while he climbed a nearby tree, feeling safer semi-hidden among its branches as he dangled above their gathering.

He had never expected thievery to be so technical and complicated. The longer he sat there the more his brain started to hurt as Ganondorf and co. discussed everything from escape routes to potential bribes to the best time of day to raid a castle.

Was he really doing the right thing? He couldn't tell if it was guilt or nerves squirming in his stomach. It was one thing to want to change fate, but to work with Ganondorf? Actively help him commit crime? Could he just be doing this on impulse, out of spite? He didn't feel like he was, but then he wasn't exactly doing it to _help_ Hyrule in any way either.

But if he could stop Ganondorf from trying to take over Hyrule, at all, then wasn't that a good thing? What did the method matter if the end result was the same? Hyrule safe, free from Ganondorf.

To ask for anything more was stupid.

It all depended on whether or not he could convince Ganondorf, in the end. At least his friends were, more or less, on board with the shaky plan being formulated beneath Link's dangling feet. They didn't seem to want his input, and he was only too happy to comply. He didn't think he'd be able to make himself actively plan a heist, a _crime_.

Sure, he'd managed to convince himself to assassinate a man, but that was different.

In the end he didn't have to weigh in at all. Ganondorf's friends were, understandably, wary of him-well, a couple of them were downright hostile, not that he could blame them-and had no interest in his opinion. Or maybe they just didn't think a twelve year old would have anything useful to add.

They would be right. Link had no idea how to break _into_ castles, his only experience being with their gardens, and he definitely didn't know how to go about stealing things. Not from castles, anyway. Two years without any form of support or income had left Link with few options. He'd got pretty good at pickpocketing during his forays into the city, and it was surprising how inattentive the owners of some stalls were.

He hoped the goddesses were annoyed, to see their hero fall so low.

So maybe his willingness to break into the castle _was_ from spite. At least partially.

They left the forest a few days after Ganondorf first announced his plan, Link making a conservative effort to remember the others' names on the journey to the city. He was tempted to just not, given how they all insisted on calling him _kid_ or sometimes other, ruder names, but he figured he should. They were helping him, after all, despite all his attempts to kill one of their friends. Maybe they felt a little more amicable because of how miserably all said attempts had gone, or maybe it had something to do with how _insistent_ Ganondorf could apparently be.

He was taking the whole multiple attempts on his life thing surprisingly well. It didn't seem to bother him at all, something Link couldn't quite wrap his head round. It just didn't seem sensible.

Nabooru and two of the other girls, Maram and Aveil-whose name and face rung a bell but Link couldn't quite place-felt much the same way, actively trying to get the others to reconsider their ludicrous plan. It wasn't just that they didn't trust Link, but also that they thought the whole thing was completely ridiculous, more akin to suicide than an actual plan.

As for the details of the plan, as far as Link could tell he, Ganondorf, and two of the others were going to sneak into the castle-possibly under the guise of servants-and then while he and Ganondorf searched the library all six of the others would act as various lines of defence against capture. They all, also, apparently had jobs to do in the city before they could actually get on with the whole breaking into the library thing. It was hard work, being a thief.

Nabooru and Aveil were casing the palace, learning guard routes and routines while looking for ways in and out. Maram and Kian, the other boy, went off to fence all the spoils from their last robbery and secure passage out of the city, in case it was needed. If it wasn't, then Dana and Simin's scouting out a safehouse wouldn't go to waste.

And that left Link with Ganondorf, who despite his light-heartedness about the attempted murder ordeal hadn't let Link out of his sight once in the week it had taken to form a plan and reach the city, meandering around the alleyways and back streets while they waited for the others to be done.

It was a side of Hyrule Link had never seen before, not even in his two years of resorting to very unheroic methods of survival.

The Hyrule he knew was bustling, brimming with life. The main streets were always full, teeming with people swathed in bright fabrics and going about their business merrily. Stalls and shops lined every road, sagging under the weight of their wares.

The Hyrule he found hidden around corners, behind the bright face of those main streets, was horrifying. The citizens of the city's underbelly were sick, they were dying. Thin, ragged, grey-faced, curled up in shadowy corners or lying prone against walls. Their clothes were tattered and grubby; they would not, without question, stave off the coming winter.

'It's rude to stare,' Ganondorf said after Link slowed to a halt for maybe the fifth time, horrified by what he was seeing. He just about managed to tear his eyes away from a hollow-cheeked, dead-eyed child who was so thin he could see every bone beneath their skin.

'What is this?' he managed, aghast. Where had they all come from? How had he not noticed them before? Sure, he'd seen the occasional beggar out on the main drags, but never in this number, never in such a poor state.

'This is Hyrule,' Ganondorf replied simply as he turned a corner, briefly vanishing from Link's line of sight. He scrambled to follow, only sparing the briefest thought to the way he seemed to be gravitating towards Ganondorf as if he'd provide some kind of _protection_. 'It's been getting worse lately, but still the Royal Family does nothing.'

Somewhere Link could hear a baby crying, it's high, thin wail sending dagger through his heart.

This wasn't the Hyrule he knew. This couldn't be Hyrule, couldn't be _Castle Town_. How many times had he walked these streets, memorised all the different ways they'd been built through the ages? Had he missed this, every time? Overlooked so much suffering?

How? How could he have?

This _couldn't_ be Hyrule. And the Royal Family were doing nothing? He couldn't believe it. Zelda wouldn't stand for this. She just wouldn't.

But she was just a kid, like him. How could she change a thing?

Looking around Link hugged himself, as if he could bar himself from the truth with just his arms.

Because if this was Hyrule, if this was how the King treated his subjects then… what had he been protecting all this time? What had he been fighting so hard for, what had he risked his life so many times for?

Was this Hyrule, a Hyrule that ignored the suffering of its citizens and was ruled by a King who was letting his people starve and die right under his nose, even worth protecting?


	5. True or False

_**AN: Well, another week another chapter. I was up until, like, an hour ago, considering putting my stories on hiatus, but I think I've decided against it for now. So I'd like to thank Um I lost my name, Jewel08, and silverheartlugia2000 for their reviews, your support really, truly keeps me going.  
**_ _ **And now, chapter five. Enjoy!**_

5- _True or False_

Preparations were complete, the plan was underway. They were really doing this. They were really sneaking into the Royal Palace to break into its Royal Archives.

Link was so sure they were going to get caught. He could barely bring himself to lift his eyes from his boots as he trailed along after Ganondorf in his "borrowed" uniform, afraid that if he looked up and met someone's eye the whole thing would come tumbling down.

He tightened his grip on the stack of fabric in his arms, hunching his shoulders as he followed Ganondorf round a corner. There was a fair distance between them, but they'd all memorised the palace's building plans, the ones Aveil had tracked down, so none of them would be getting lost. Or at least, they shouldn't if they remembered the route correctly.

There were so many ways this could go wrong.

Luckily for them-well, Nabooru had said it was lucky-the castle was bustling that afternoon. With their "borrowed" uniforms they all blended into the masses well. They just had to act docile around passing lords and ladies, and look like they knew where they were going.

Which they did. Because they'd memorised the map.

Whenever Link managed to pluck up the courage to pull his gaze from the ground he had to remind himself not to stare. Hyrule Castle was always impressive, no matter the era, but this was the first time he'd been inside it without the pressure of the oncoming final battle. This was the first time he'd been inside while _other people_ were. He could actually look around, admire the paintings and tapestries on the walls (the meanings of which were lost on him), make note of the distant smells of cooking, occasionally overridden by the smell of flowers which stood in pretty vases all over the place, revel in how _alive_ it was. The air was full of the sound of footsteps, swishing fabric, voices. Human voices, not the growls or hisses of concealed monsters. Instead of swords and arrows he was dodging people, real people, as they rushed around laden with all kinds of things.

It was hard not to stare. He tried to distract himself by reminding himself that he had a job to do, and that while the castle was lavish and ornate there were people dying practically on its doorstep. All of this wealth, all of these people, could be put to so much better use.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on the injustices he'd so recently had his eyes opened to. Now he had to find the library and convince Ganondorf of his tale. Save Hyrule's future, so that it could be made better than… whatever it was now.

Adjusting his grip on the cloth in his arms Link took a deep breath of air that smelled faintly of bread, rounding another corner cautiously. There were so many corridors, so many twists and turns. He was so worried he was going to get lost, but a brief glance at the hallway ahead showed Ganondorf still wandering along ahead of him. Where once his dark skin or flaming hair might have drawn curious looks, now they went completely unnoticed by all those he passed, some of whom even shared similar traits.

The Gerudos' decline was turning out to be both frustrating, saddening, and helpful. All at the same time.

A couple of guards clanked by, prompting Link to duck his head as he slowed his pace just a little in the hopes he'd remain unnoticed. He did, as he had since entering the castle through the servants' quarters. There were plenty of pages scurrying about, so he hardly stood out, and one meek boy was hardly going to attract the attention of a guard.

That didn't exactly make him any less nervous, though.

Still, everything seemed to work out because after twenty of the most nerve-wracking minutes of Link's life he was stood outside the library, watching Ganondorf slip inside from across the corridor as he restacked his pile of fabric. Aveil was also loitering nearby; she and Nabooru had taken a different route, and now Nabooru was in the library, guarding the door from the inside.

Plucking at the fabric Link hovered a little longer, waiting for a lull in passers-by, and then he followed Ganondorf into the library.

The silence was almost deafening as the heavy wooden door thudded shut behind him, after all the hustle and bustle of the rest of the castle. He stood for a moment, letting his suddenly pounding heart settle, and then for a moment longer to take in his new surroundings.

The room he was stood in was big and lofty, gloomy despite the tall windows in the far wall, and filled with books wherever he looked. Not surprising, really, but he'd never seen so many books in one place. The place was _full_ of them, wedged together tightly in rows and rows of tall, wide shelves. Through what few gaps there were Link could see even more shelves beyond those nearest to him, stretching on into the room's gloomy corners, and probably rooms beyond that.

Stepping forward tentatively he watched dust motes swirl in the grey beams of light that filtered through the windows, taking deep breaths of the musty air and then jumping when he saw movement from the corner of his eye.

It was just Nabooru, though. She was peeking round on of the high shelves at him, face settled into its usual displeased expression, the one she wore whenever she looked at him. As he watched she emerged a little more, folding her arms as she leant against the shelf.

'Get on with whatever you've got to do, then,' she hissed, voice loud despite its relative softness. It was so _quiet_. Wasn't there anybody else in there with them? 'Whatever ridiculous thing you're making Gan do, just do it. He's over there.' She gestured absently, and Link offered her a brief look of thanks before heading in the direction she'd pointed.

Ganondorf was indeed there, entranceway's right-hand side, wandering slowly through the stacks. When Link found him he watched in silence for a second as Ganondorf ran his fingers along a row of books then paused to glance into a small display case jammed between two sets of shelves.

Then Link cleared his throat, shrugging when Ganondorf spun to look at him. 'What now?'

'Well, now we try to find something to prove your story,' Ganondorf replied, glancing around. 'But where do we even start?'

Link had an idea. He didn't know how the library was set out, but he was willing to bet that the older the books got, the further into the shadows they were moved. They'd need to find the old and ancient records, the ones from ages long past.

Ganondorf complied readily when Link explained his plan, and together they ventured deeper into the library. As Link had predicted the place only got gloomier and gloomier as they moved away from the windows, the objects in the display cases gradually growing older and older which made him think they were on the right track. Every so often he'd find himself needing to tug Ganondorf on, because he kept stopping to look at things. Link didn't _see_ him take anything, but he was pretty sure that counted for absolutely nothing.

They selected a pile of books as they went, both of them contributing; Link with things he thought looked familiar or useful, Ganondorf with whatever he wanted to use to make Link prove, or disprove, his stories. It was tempting to just stop to peruse the shelves out of simple curiosity, and Link had to remind himself of the task at hand multiple times. Still, he did actually manage to find a few things he thought would provide irrefutable proof, which made him think luck might finally be on his side for once. One find in particular sent a thrill of excitement through him; there was no way Ganondorf would be able to contest it.

Eventually they stopped at a little table crammed in a corner, nicely out of sight. It no longer felt like they were breaking into a castle, or like they'd be in serious trouble if they were found. The outside world felt miles away, as if they'd crossed into a different dimension or something. It was just the two of them, surrounded by the library's dusty gloom, walled in on all sides by creaky, sagging shelves.

Link actually felt kind of excited as Ganondorf set down their chosen books, with a thump that sent up a small cloud of dust from table and parchment alike.

Waving a hand through the haze Link perched himself gingerly on one of the chairs, cringing as it creaked under his weight, both at the loud sound and the threat of it giving out under him. It didn't, but both he and Ganondorf went rigid for maybe a minute, in the silence that followed listening for any sounds of approach. There were none, so eventually Ganondorf folded himself into the other chair with much less care than Link.

'Right, then,' he said, quietly, running his eyes over their selected books with a thoughtful frown. 'Time to test this tale of yours.' He eyed the books for a moment longer before lifting his frown onto Link. 'What's up with all these weird books?' Picking one up he turned it so its cover was facing Link. 'What is this, a storybook?'

It was. It was old, its pages yellowed and its binding faded and worn, but it was familiar. Link remembered reading one just like it in a previous life, curled up in a corner of a library not too dissimilar from the one he currently sat in, flicking through various legends of Hyrule's many saviours. He hadn't known in that lifetime that he and the Heroes in most of them were one and the same-the Hero of Time had simply been a legend, an inspiration, and how could he ever be tied to the hero from the sky who'd slain a terrible demon?-but he'd felt sympathy for the boy who had come so many years before him, and for the young man used and manipulated by Hylia. It had been hard enough saving Hyrule as an adult, he'd thought, and he hadn't been able to imagine what it would be like to do it as a child, or to fight for someone he'd been betrayed by.

'Hello? You in there?' Fingers snapped nearby and Link jumped, startled from his reminiscence. Ganondorf raised his eyebrows, glancing at the book he was still waving around. 'Why'd you pick this one? It just looks like some kids' book written in some kind of weird Hylian.'

Still feeling a little disorientated Link held out a hand, silently asking for the book. Ganondorf obliged, and Link put it down between them, gingerly lifting the worn cover with a finger. The pictures inside were faded but still pretty legible, with a few lines of an old variant of Hylian penned neatly under each.

'It's a book of legends,' Link explained softly, flipping through a few pages before returning to the beginning. 'Our- well, mine and Zelda's first incarnations, and then a few more of all of ours.'

And then, turning each page carefully, he told the ocarina-wielding Link's tale as well as Link of Skyloft's, not bothering to look at the text. The focus of his story was on the pictures, which though a little… interpretive, held enough similarities for his stories to hold up. He refrained from going off on tangents as he stripped the legends to their basic points, though it really was tempting. For brevity's sake he refrained.

Ganondorf seemed to get a shock from learning that the cloud of shadow that occasionally took on the form of a giant pig shared his name-something he couldn't deny because it was written underneath the picture itself-and then he got offended when Link told him it didn't just share his name but actually _was_ him.

'Do I look like a giant pig-monster to you?' he demanded, just about managing to say it in an undertone. They were still in the library, after all, where they weren't supposed to be. 'Or that weird… scaly thing?'

Link tried not to laugh at Ganondorf's expression, absently tracing a finger across the page they'd stopped at. 'Demise was different,' he explained. 'You two aren't the same person like you and other Ganondorfs are, but… you're definitely tied together. And as for this-' he tapped the page, where pig-Ganon glared up at them, '-it's something you turn into. With magic. You… can do magic, right?'

'Sure, but nothing like that.' Ganondorf jabbed a finger at the book. 'It's mostly just parlour tricks- y'know, invisibility of a sort, flashy lights and big sounds. Things that help us get away.'

'Good to know,' Link mumbled after a moment before directing Ganondorf's attention back to the task at hand. It really was good to know this Ganondorf couldn't turn into that colossal boar-creature, or any variant of it. Hopefully it would stay that way.

'So you know the stories.' Ganondorf's tone bordered on flippant as Link closed the book, tale told, as was his shrug. 'And you idolise these Heroes. Names are just names, kid, and stories are just stories. This is a picture book, for kids.'

Instead of arguing like he wanted to- _really_ wanted to-Link just folded his arms and sat back. 'Fine. Your turn.'

To which Ganondorf replied with a wide grin as he selected the fattest, heaviest book from the pile, sliding it towards Link who looked at it with no little trepidation. He squinted at the cracked black leather it was bound in for a moment, before shifting his gaze up onto Ganondorf in silent question.

'Look, I've seen my fair share of old texts and whatnot,' Ganondorf said with a slightly dismissive wave of his hand. 'And I might not be able to read it but I know Ancient Hylian when I see it.'

'So?' Link prompted when Ganondorf paused, dropping his eyes back onto the book.

' _So_ ,' Ganondorf repeated, 'if you really do remember our lives from centuries ago, or whatever, then I want you to translate some of this.' Reaching out he tapped a finger to the book's cover.

Link huffed, but it was more for dramatic effect than anything. This would be simple, a piece of cake.

Or not, as he discovered upon opening the book. It wasn't the most ancient of Ancient Hylian languages, more akin to the language of the ocarina or Majora debacles, and he did recognise it, but translating it proved more difficult than he'd expected.

Apparently just remembering it wasn't enough. The words got all jumbled whenever he tried to string them together and the symbols, while familiar, seemed to blur and jump around when he looked at them. It was like his past lives were all fighting for dominance, and sure enough after a few minutes of staring at the pages his memories started getting all mixed up too.

When his head started hurting he decided he needed to take a break, leaning away from the table as he rested his forehead in his hands.

'You all right, kid?'

He had to clamp down on an unexpected fear response when he remembered Ganondorf was sat across from him. With everything mixed up as it was Link had to force himself to stay calm. This Ganondorf was not the enemy. This era-which era?-was not under attack. It was not in danger. The Gerudo-technically not a Gerudo this time-was not a threat.

In the end Link didn't reply, just slumping a little further as he sorted through his memories, putting them all back in their proper places. He had no idea how long it took, but he was surprised and grateful when Ganondorf stayed quiet. Once he felt a little less confused he turned back to the book with renewed determination.

He could do this. He _would_ do this.

Things were a little easier after that. Of all the books Ganondorf could have chosen he'd picked a horribly boring one; it was all about the "proper" building and management of a household. Why anyone would write about that, about which rooms should be built where to let what sunlight in at which times, or how to manage staff, or all sorts of other ridiculous things, Link had no idea.

But he persevered, reciting a few passages to Ganondorf who looked as unimpressed as Link felt.

'You're kidding, right?' was all he said, eyebrows raised and nose wrinkled in distaste.

And then he had the gall to go off about how Link was probably just making it all up. Why he'd _ever_ make up something as boring as the book in his hands he didn't know. He also didn't think he'd be able to make it up if he tried, but Ganondorf shut down all of his protests and arguments mercilessly.

Link was, to put it lightly, very annoyed. Ganondorf didn't even seem to be listening anymore, so focused on disproving everything Link said as he was.

So Link resorted to his trump card. He'd found it tucked away on one of the shelves, completely innocuous and inconspicuous, its contents anything but. He wasn't even sure _how_ he'd found it-maybe luck, or a helping hand from some greater power-but he had and that was all that mattered.

It was a journal, written by an unknown witness to the Hero of Time's trials, its pages yellowed and brittle, its bindings falling apart, its cover stained. There was a slight tingle of magic to it, which explained how it hadn't completely disintegrated yet. How it even existed in the first place Link wasn't sure, because they'd rewritten that particular period of time, but it was there. He wondered maybe if he'd written it and forgotten, or maybe it was Zelda's. Maybe it had even been one of the sages.

Well, whoever it belonged to, it was a great find.

Ganondorf didn't share the sentiment. He seemed adverse to even looking at it when Link explained what it was; when Link shoved a faded sketch of that era's Ganondorf (the similarities were painfully obvious) in his face he stared at it with blank eyes, stifling a gesture that implied he'd been tempted to bat it away.

'Why are you being so difficult?!' Link finally demanded, frustrated beyond belief. He wanted to throw the heavy, boring book at Ganondorf's face, but instead settled for flicking through the journal for more pictures. There was one of a burnt Kakariko Village, and even a sketch of the ocarina itself. 'I've done more than enough to prove I'm not lying, haven't I? Why won't you believe me?'

There was no reply, and Link glanced up at Ganondorf who was sitting stiffly in his chair, a definitely forced look of disinterest on his face. He was drumming his fingers against the table; from the agitated sound Link half expected him to start pacing again.

'You… you _do_ believe me, don't you?' A grin spread across Link's face. 'That's why you're being so annoying!'

'What would you know?' Ganondorf snapped, then seemed to catch himself. 'You don't know a thing about me.'

'I know plenty, thanks,' Link scoffed, only to cringe back when Ganondorf slammed his hand down on the table.

'No, you don't!' Apparently he'd forgotten they were supposed to be being sneaky, if the way his voice was rising meant anything. 'You know about these- these Kings, these _monsters_ who tried to destroy Hyrule. Well I have news for you, kid, _they're not me_ , and I'm not them! I'm my own person, so how about you take that journal and shove it up-'

The sound of a door opening cut him off. Or rather, he heard the door opening and immediately snapped his mouth shut in response.

'Did you hear that?' Ganondorf asked after a pause, anger forgotten for the moment. Link nodded mutely, twisting in his seat to look in the direction of the library's main door. It had definitely just been opened.

'Maybe they won't find us?' Link suggested weakly after a tense minute of listening; the sound of a heavy door opening and shutting carried, but footsteps didn't.

'I'm not willing to risk it,' Ganondorf replied as he slipped to his feet, eyeing the table for a moment. 'Leave those, let's go.'

'What if someone finds them?' Link wasn't trying to be difficult, but he felt the question needed asking.

Ganondorf just shrugged. 'They'll probably just think someone who's actually _allowed_ to be in here left them and forgot. Now let's _move_.'

Not needing to be told twice Link did so, though he felt a definite pang of loss as he left the journal behind. He might have been inclined to take it, it he hadn't expected the first touch of outside air to make it fall to pieces. Maybe he'd be able to find it again, if he ever came back.

He followed Ganondorf through the stacks in silence, ears pricked for any sounds of approaching feet. Stealth may not have been his strong suit, but he knew how to keep his steps quiet well enough on polished wood floors. It was different to the forest, where every stray branch or bush was conspiring against him, and one wrong move would send wildlife fleeing noisily.

Ganondorf was on a whole nother level, though. If Link hadn't been actively following him he'd never know the guy was there. When he moved he did so in complete silence. Even his clothes didn't seem to rustle.

By comparison Link felt like he was making enough noise for the both of them. His heart was loud in his ears, and his breaths, though he was fighting to keep them calm and steady, felt every bit as loud as a twig snapping under his carefully placed feet.

At length he wondered if maybe no one had actually come into the library, but almost as soon as he thought it Ganondorf suddenly stopped, backing up sharply. Link scrambled to do the same before they could collide, pressing himself against the nearest stack. The narrow walkway between it and the next suddenly felt almost claustrophobic, like they were going to topple inwards and crush them at any moment.

A glance at Ganondorf showed the thief to look fairly calm, though his brow was furrowed and his hands were fisted at his sides. When he caught Link's eye he tapped a finger to his lips, to which Link nodded, nerves twisting in his stomach all over again. He could feel himself trembling in fearful anticipation, half wishing there was a gap in the books he leant against for him to peer through.

It turned out he didn't need to, though, because a moment later he picked up on the soft sound of humming that told him everything he needed to know. It was a familiar tune and Link's stomach dropped further as he realised who it was.

Zelda.

Beside him Ganondorf peeked out from around the stacks, drawing back with a softly muttered curse. The humming stopped.

'Is someone there?' a young voice called after a second, and now Link could hear the soft slap of her shoes as she drew nearer. Another glance at Ganondorf showed he was no longer frowning, but his jaw was set in a way that almost seemed worse.

And then he stepped out from behind the shelves.

Link started, eyes going wide with shock and horror. Not sure what to do, or what exactly Ganondorf thought he was doing, he went rigid, frozen in place.

'Oh, hello. Who might you be?' Zelda's young voice was bright, as innocent and carefree as Link had ever heard it. He was tempted to peek out at her, to see a Zelda unburdened by fate, but as it was he still couldn't bring himself to move.

Not until Ganondorf did. He reached out a hand, not saying a word, and Link felt a brief flicker of magic brush against his skin, a soft golden light briefly flashing across the nearest stacks.

And _then_ Link moved, jumping forward with a protest halfway to his lips just in time to watch Ganondorf catch a now apparently unconscious Zelda before she tumbled to the floor. The book she'd been holding wasn't as lucky; it hit the ground with a heavy thump, bouncing slightly before settling.

'What did you do?!' Link demanded, wincing a little when his voice came out shrill in his horror. Had Ganondorf just attacked the Princess of Hyrule?!

'Relax, I didn't hurt her,' Ganondorf replied around an exasperated sigh as he slung Zelda over one of his shoulders with more care than Link could honestly say he'd expected. 'It's just a little sleeping spell. I'll put her down at one of the tables and she'll just think she fell asleep reading.'

'But she saw you, didn't she?' Chewing on his lip Link frowned at Zelda, her limp arms where they dangled down along Ganondorf's back.

'She'll think she dreamt me up.' Shrugging his free shoulder Ganondorf started walking away, effectively ending all conversation. Annoyed and anxious Link had no choice but to follow, hoping he was exuding silent disapproval as he watched Ganondorf set Zelda down at the first table he found (a small, round one sat in a patch of dusty sunlight), arranging her limbs like she was some kind of doll.

'Stop pouting,' Ganondorf eventually sighed as he opened Zelda's fallen book to a random page and cushioned her head with it. 'Would you rather we'd been caught?'

Unable to come up with an answer Link huffed, then huffed again when Ganondorf snickered softly.

'And just _what_ do you two think you're doing, exactly?' the sudden hiss startled them both; when Link spun to look Nabooru was stood behind them, arm folded, face a mask of disdain. She didn't need to say another word to let them know she wasn't at all happy about this turn of events.

Under her burning yellow gaze they all but fled the library, though not before Link doubled-checked Zelda really was all right. As Ganondorf had said she was just sleeping, so feeling marginally reassured Link let himself be chivvied along by an irate Nabooru. They paused beside the heavy doors only to wait for Aveil's signals from the other side, where she was still stood guard. How Zelda had got past them both without either one of them warning Link or Ganondorf was a mystery, one Link would have to wait to solve. Right now they needed to escape.

'We'll rendezvous at the agreed place, all right?' Nabooru whispered, voice still sharp and annoyed. 'Assuming you even remember where it is.' Her eyes flickered onto Link who refrained from sticking his tongue out, but did scowl up at her in reply. She just narrowed her eyes briefly with a slight smirk, then slipped out through the door at Aveil's quiet ' _all clear'_ knock.

Ganondorf went next, a few minutes later, and then Link. With Aveil in tow he set out, hopefully leaving the castle behind for good. He couldn't wait to be gone, and he also wanted to talk to Ganondorf without having to whisper or be on the lookout for approaching trouble.

Because Ganondorf _did_ believe him, Link was sure of it, and that meant they needed to decide what they were going to do this time around. They needed to work out how they were going to change things, how they were going to fight fate and do things _better_ this time.

Link might have been both excited and absolutely terrified, but he was also resolved. Things were different this time, and he'd be damned if he didn't try to make something of it. He was going to change his fate, no matter the cost.

And, given Ganondorf's earlier outburst, Link was pretty sure he'd have an ally this time around.


	6. Time to Talk

_**AN: Here we are again, then. Another slightly shorter chapter this week, but what can you do? I'd like to thank silverheartlugia2000 for their review, and those who favourited/followed this week. I say it every week, but it means the world.  
**_ _ **And now, chapter six. Enjoy, and if you can please do review!**_

6- _Time to Talk_

The 'safe house' Dana and Simin had scouted out turned out to be a small, rundown building just off the city's East Road. Well, it _looked_ rundown from the outside; all boarded up windows, peeling paint, and stains. The inside was in much better repair, if a little old, a little worn, and really quite dusty. Link was pretty sure he left footprints as he traipsed inside with Aveil at his heels.

But lifetimes of traversing old, disused temples had nothing if not got him used to dust and general disrepair. It definitely wasn't worst place he'd ever stayed in. At least it wasn't damp like a Water Temple, or stifling like a Fire Temple. It did smell a little weird, but that was hardly an issue. Being near an apothecary the house smelt of strange herbs and stranger potions, under its generally dusty, musty smell.

Link crinkled his nose just a little, hoping he'd get used to it quickly.

The others were all there already, making themselves at home on the second floor where more of the windows were boarded up. Link could hear them talking, though they went quiet when he and Aveil made their way up the creaky, rickety flight of stairs. It would definitely be hard for anyone to sneak up them.

'You made it, then.' Nabooru was perched on what looked like an old, stained chest of drawers, her heels bouncing off the side of it lightly. She seemed pleased to see Aveil, but the expression quickly dropped when she looked at Link. He scowled right back before looking around at the others. Dana was sat against the far wall, Simin's head in her lap, while Kian lay sprawled in the middle of the room and Maram stood looking out of one of the only windows free of boards.

There was no sign of Ganondorf.

When he asked Nabooru she threw him a dirty look. 'He said he wanted to clear his head,' she said, scooting left along her perch as Aveil moved to join her. 'So he's gone for a walk. I assume you had something to do with that?'

Link shrugged. 'I just showed him some stuff he didn't want to see.'

'What kind of stuff?'

'Just… stuff.' Link didn't know what to say. It wasn't like they'd believe him if he told them the truth, and they already didn't trust him. He didn't need them thinking he was crazy too.

The thump of Nabooru's boots hitting the floor was loud as she slid from the chest, stomping towards him. 'What. Kind. Of. Stuff?' she repeated, suddenly angry. Link stood his ground as she approached, despite the strong urge to run that came over him. 'You've been stringing us all along for _weeks_. Don't you think you owe us some answers, after everything we've done for you, despite everything _you_ did? Have you forgotten how many times you tried to kill Gan, one of our _friends?_ Stop messing around, you haven't even thankedus _once_!'

She towered above him, eyes blazing, jaw set, and Link stared back at her, suddenly mute. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't think of anything _to_ say. His throat felt suddenly tight, his eyes stung a little. Being yelled at wasn't something he was familiar with, and he felt all at once very small.

Especially because her anger was totally justified. She was right. He'd tried to kill one of their friends, repeatedly, but they'd still helped him. Sure, they'd been doing it because Ganondorf asked, but they'd still done it. They'd taken a big risk, and they'd done so much for him.

And what had he done for them? Nothing. Hadn't even offered the barest of thanks. Because he was the 'hero', because he was 'saving Hyrule'. Because that should be enough, right? He was going to save them all, someday. Sneaking him into a library could hardly compare, so why should he thank them? They should be thanking him, right? They should just be glad to help, _right_?

Link wanted to kick himself. Wasn't he supposed to be better than this, do better than this? Even if he hated all the memories crammed in his head, and his reincarnated soul, that soul was still the legendary hero's. _He_ was still the hero, reincarnated, even if he hadn't technically been granted the title yet. He was supposed to be good, not prideful, not some bratty little kid who thought he was, what, entitled to other people's time and aid?

No, that had to be earned. If he really _was_ going to save Hyrule then he wasn't going to do it alone. He never had, and he never would. Things might go differently this time-he was _going_ to make them go differently-but the fact still stood. He'd need help, and friends, but he would have to work for that. _Earn_ their friendship, _earn_ their help. Not just ask for everything to be given to him, free of charge.

Nabooru was still glaring at him. In fact, all of them were looking at him. He felt trapped, pinned like a butterfly under their gazes. When he tried to speak his voice, and words, failed him. He couldn't make a sound.

'Nothing?' Nabooru was, apparently, taking his silence for insolence. 'Are you kidding me?'

'Come on, Nabooru, lay off.' Kian had propped himself up on his elbows and was frowning at her. 'Leave the kid alone.'

'No, you know what?' Balling her hands on her hips Nabooru fixed Link with the sharpest glare he'd seen from her yet. 'I'm done. I've had enough. I'm so _sick_ of your face. Get out.'

' _Nabooru_!' Simin's voice was soft, but the scold in it was plain to hear as she sat up slightly. 'That's totally uncalled for.'

'Shut up, Simin,' Nabooru snapped, stepping even closer to Link. He backed up in response, quailing under her angry eyes. ' _Leave_.'

And so he did. A couple of the others protested, but Link was honestly quite happy to escape from Nabooru's wrath. Maybe not the courageous thing to do, especially because he still hadn't apologised _or_ thanked them, but he didn't know what else to do. He also didn't know if she'd meant for good, or just until she'd cooled down. He hadn't wanted to ask.

So he left, scurrying down the creaky stairs and out the stiff door, not looking back. Once he was a good way from the hideout he sat down on a low wall, putting his head in his hands as he thought things through.

He needed to talk to Ganondorf. It was the only thing he could think to do. The thought of going back to apologise to the others made him squirm, embarrassed and ashamed. He hadn't meant to use them, but apparently he'd done just that, so focused on convincing Ganondorf as he'd been. They'd probably risked all sorts of trouble just coming to the city, let alone for Nabooru and Aveil to accompany them to the Royal Library.

Sighing Link ran his hands through his hair then pushed away from the wall. He needed to find Ganondorf.

It took a little while, even when Link _knew_ he was actually in the city, but eventually he stumbled across him, sat on the fountain in central Castle Town. He was watching the clouds roll by, and didn't look away when Link sat down heavily next to him.

'What are you doing out here by yourself?' Ganondorf eventually asked after a minute or so, still not dropping his gaze from the sky.

'Nabooru got angry at me and kicked me out,' Link replied flatly, to which Ganondorf raised an eyebrow in question. Link was tempted to complain, but then it was his own fault so he couldn't, really. He said as much, and Ganondorf finally turned to look at him.

'She'll cool down. Just apologise for whatever you did and she'll probably forgive you.' Ganondorf shrugged lightly, and there was silence as his vaguely amused expression shifted into a frown.

Leaning back Link swirled his fingers through the water at the bottom of the fountain, watching sunlight flicker and bounce over the rupees people had thrown in. He resisted the urge to pick a few out, though he did dip his hand in a little further, swishing it about and watching the ripples that followed.

He wasn't going to speak until Ganondorf did.

Or at least, that's what he told himself, but when the guy still hadn't spoken five minutes later Link began to seriously consider pressing for answers.

'So your story's true.' Link just about reined in a sigh of relief when Ganondorf finally, _finally_ broke his silence. 'It's all, honest to the goddesses, true?'

Link nodded, not sure what to do when Ganondorf ran his hands through his hair then rested his head in them. He let out a long, heavy sigh, then peered at Link through his fingers.

'Seriously?'

'Seriously.' Link kept his tone, and expression, serious, but inside he was awash with relief. Ganondorf finally believed him. They could finally start trying to change things, change fate.

Ganondorf made a low, pained sound, slumping where he sat. 'I'm really the reincarnation of the- what did you call him? The "King of Evil"?'

' _Yes_.' Link couldn't blame him for not wanting it to be true, but it was. They couldn't change _that_.

'So I'm evil,' Ganondorf mumbled, more to himself as he stretched out his right hand slightly, staring hard at the back of it. Link followed his gaze, knowing the Triforce was glowing underneath the dark glove, and spared a glance at his own left hand, also gloved, flexing his fingers a little.

'No,' Link said, after a slight delay, prompting a slightly surprised, confused glance from Ganondorf. 'You're not.' Ganondorf's eyebrows rose, his surprise increasing. 'Not right now, not…'

'Not yet,' Ganondorf finished when Link trailed off, and he pressed his lips together in lieu of an answer. 'But eventually.' With another sigh Ganondorf leant his elbows on his knees, eyes straying to some of the people passing by. Link didn't say anything, just swirled his hand through the cool water some more. It was one thing to be the reincarnation of a hero, but another entirely to be the reincarnation of an evil that had tried to destroy Hyrule so many times.

At least, Link supposed, Ganondorf didn't remember anything. He wondered how all the Ganondorfs that had come before had ended up evil, consumed by their lust for power and hell-bent on destroying Hyrule.

'But you want to change it, right?' When Ganondorf spoke again Link glanced up from the fountain, staring blankly at him in silence for a minute.

'Yes,' he said when he actually processed the question.

'And you really think you can?'

To that he just shrugged. He had absolutely no idea. But he was going to try.

Ganondorf gave him a wan smile when he said so. 'I guess that's better than sitting back and doing nothing, just waiting for things to go wrong.' He sat back, tilting his head up towards the sky. 'So what's the plan?'

Link didn't reply. He didn't have a plan. He'd been winging it since deciding to stop trying to kill Ganondorf, and now that he'd convinced him he wasn't lying, he hadn't the faintest clue as to what to do now. He hadn't thought that far ahead.

Maybe something of an oversight, he was beginning to think.

Ganondorf's expression, when he looked away from the clouds again, was unimpressed. Link resisted the urge to stick his tongue out.

'All right, so there's no plan.' Stretching his legs slowly Ganondorf leaned back, a thoughtful frown forming on his face. 'How do things normally go, then? Like, what does he- what do _I_ do? What do you do? What usually happens?'

Mulling that over Link tried to put things in order. It varied every lifetime, but usually Ganondorf or one of his underlings showed up pretty much out of the blue, set on capturing sages or Zelda or just generally wreaking havoc in some way. They would usually gain the upper hand, which would be what sent Link on his quest to save Hyrule in the first place. He'd make his way through temples, awakening his heroic spirit, and then he'd head to Hyrule castle. There he and Ganondorf would do battle, Ganondorf usually at some point becoming some variation of the usual boar-monster, and then Link would, more often than not, seal him away. He rarely ever actually _killed_ Ganondorf, now that he came to think about it.

When Link finally finished Ganondorf, who had listened to it all in contemplative silence, sat forward again, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Link cleared his throat softly as he waited, all the talking having made it ache a little, as well as drying his mouth out.

'Well, you've already succeeded in screwing up the order of things, in a pretty big way,' Ganondorf mused, glancing sidelong at Link. 'This time it was you who showed up out of the blue. And apparently I'm supposed to have underlings?' He snorted. 'Are you kidding me?'

'What about Nabooru and the others?' Link asked, earning himself a second, derisive snort.

'You seriously think they're my _underlings_? No, kid, c'mon. They're my friends.'

Link pouted, not liking Ganondorf's tone. 'Nabooru was your underling once.'

To which Ganondorf did a double take, looking about as sceptical as a person could. 'What?'

'Well, I mean, she kind of defected in the end but, yeah. She was your second-in-command once. And then she was again, when Koume and Kotake brainwashed her and shoved her in this giant suit of armour.'

'I'm sorry, what? You're making no sense, kid.'

'Oh. Well. Koume and Kotake were these two really old sorceresses who raised you one time-or maybe more times I don't know-and they magicked Nabooru to be loyal to you and put her in this huge, super tough suit of armour. And they could do this thing where they, like, fused and became this giant, really powerful lady called Twinrova and-' he was abruptly interrupted when Ganondorf slapped a hand over his mouth.

'You're babbling, kid. And you've completely lost me.'

Link glared at Ganondorf over the offending hand, though he had to admit even he could see he'd been rambling. The words had just kind of tumbled out; he hadn't realised quite how much he wanted to tell someone about everything he remembered. So far he'd just given Ganondorf the basics without going into much detail. Apparently Ganondorf wasn't too interested in said detail, though.

'I don't think you could make this stuff up if you tried,' Ganondorf sighed after a moment, which prompted Link to glare even more fiercely. Did he seriously still have doubts? Even slight ones? 'Don't look at me like that.' Finally retracting his hand Ganondorf rolled his eyes. 'It's difficult for me. You say you've got all these memories in your head, but I don't have anything like that. I've only got your word to go by and, I mean, all things considered that honestly doesn't count for much.'

'But you still believe me, don't you?'

'I kind of wish I didn't, but, yes.' Ganondorf ran a hand through his hair. 'But you've got to understand that this is all… a lot to take in. Like, a _lot_. Actually accepting that I could- that I'm going to turn out evil? That's a hell of a lot to ask, kid.'

Link had thought Ganondorf was handling it all pretty well, but as his voice shook just a little and something like fear flickered across his face Link saw a slight crack in the façade. The wave of sympathy that crashed down on him a second later startled him, and he had to look away.

How far they'd come in just a few weeks. He was actually feeling sympathy for Ganondorf. _Ganondorf!_

'So just… don't expect too much too fast, okay?'

Frowning down at his feet Link nodded, caught off-guard by his own emotions. It had to be horrible, to learn you were destined to end up as the King of Evil. He couldn't even imagine.

'All right.' When Ganondorf suddenly clapped his hands together Link jumped. 'So how do we change things? Even more than you already have, I mean. 'Cause I mean, now that I know what's going to come, maybe, then I can work to prevent it.' He frowned exaggeratedly. 'Maybe I should become a monk or something. Hole up in a monastery somewhere. Because a pious, goddess-fearing man.'

Link couldn't help but snort at that, watching a grin flash across Ganondorf's face as he did. The idea of Ganondorf, _Ganondorf_ , doing anything like that was so ridiculous it was almost hilarious.

It would have been quite a twist on the usual proceedings, though.

'Maybe not.' Tilting his head Ganondorf was quiet for a little while, before fixing Link with a thoughtful stare. Link himself squirmed a little, trying to work out what Ganondorf was thinking but coming up blank. All he could think of were bad things-evil plans, death plots, and so on-and he had to tell his thoughts to shut up in response. This Ganondorf wasn't evil. He _knew_ that.

He eventually just asked why Ganondorf was staring at him, earning himself a fleeting smirk before Ganondorf straightened slightly. 'I was thinking that if we're always enemies, then maybe we should trying being friends instead. That maybe we should work together, instead of against one another, for once.'

Link squinted at him just slightly. What was he getting at?

A grin spread across Ganondorf's face. 'What do you think? Join my crew?'

And Link just stared.

Do _what?_

Ganondorf snickered softly. 'Why are you so shocked? I didn't really take you for a goody-two-shoes. I know you're this bigshot hero, or whatever, but I'm… eh, I'm not really seeing it.'

Link's blank stare turned to a scowl. True, he probably wasn't exactly living up to the goddesses' expectations or whatever, but becoming a thief? Becoming one of _Ganondorf's_ thieves?

It was _perfect_.

'Are you serious?' He leaned forward slightly, excitement drawing a grin across his face. 'Seriously serious?'

'Absolutely,' Ganondorf replied with another soft laugh. 'And here I thought you didn't like the idea.'

'It's perfect!' Link leapt to his feet, spinning to face Ganondorf as he practically bounced where he stood. 'We'll be working together, which never ever happens, _and_ I'll be going against the whole "hero" thing. We couldn't change things more if we tried!'

'Well that's kind of the point, right?' Ganondorf stood too, slower than Link, and stretched his arms lazily above his head. Link heard joints pop as he did. 'So you're in, then?'

'Definitely!' Link paused, stilled. 'Do I have to do anything particular, or do I just… join?'

'The others'll have to agree,' Ganondorf said, grinning when Link grimaced. 'It'll be fine. Nabooru will have cooled off. Just apologise and make it up to her. She's actually pretty soft-hearted, y'know.'

Link found that hard to believe, but Ganondorf knew her better so he wasn't about to dispute it. The thought wasn't exactly comforting, but he was perfectly capable of apologising. And trying to make it up to her. To all of them, really.

It was a little reluctantly that he followed Ganondorf back to the hideout, and Nabooru's glare whenever she met his eyes wasn't softened by his slightly stammered apology at all, but overall things went better than he could have hoped. The others all agreed to let him in, though he'd need to prove himself, prove he could be trusted, before he was _really_ in.

He was made to swear an oath, over the snickers of a couple of the others; to only steal from the rich, to not get caught, to never sell out the others if he _did_ get caught, no matter the circumstances. To have fun, to be loyal, to be trustworthy.

Link swore, and just like that he and Ganondorf were allies. Partners. Brothers in arms. And, as he curled up on the hideout's dusty floor, listening raptly to tales of the group's previous conquests-they all seemed really excited to brag to someone, even Nabooru-he didn't regret a thing.


	7. Awakening

_**So, it would seem we're back. Thanks for your patience, enjoy.**_

* * *

7- _Awakening_

A year passed, and despite Link and Ganondorf's efforts to save it Hyrule seemed to only grow steadily worse. Taxes rose, guards grew bolder and crueller, the gap between the rich and the poor gradually widened.

Link didn't know what to make of it. He had no idea how to deal with it. All of his previous lives had been spent out in the fields or forests of Hyrule until Ganondorf had shown up; he had never lived in a city _before_ Ganondorf arrived. Had Hyrule always been in this kind of state? Had he just never seen it before?

He didn't know. He couldn't know.

But for all the things he didn't know, one thing he _did_ was that he had to help, somehow. So maybe he wouldn't be some great, evil-slaying Hero this time around, but that didn't mean he wouldn't help where he could.

Stealing from the aristocracy to help the poorer residents of the city seemed like a good place to start. Once he got over his aversion to stealing, and once he realised quite how bad the state of the city was, he was more than happy to help. Of course he got more things wrong than right, at first, but he learned. And, upholding his oath, he never got caught.

The first few times he went out by himself he ended up having to hightail it to safety, often with a few angry guards of his tail, but he was small, slight, and not weighed down by armour. The guards never stood a chance. It was exhilarating, in a completely different way to fighting monsters. It was _fun_.

But if the stealing was fun, getting to know his now fellow thieves was even better.

Nabooru was Nabooru, brusque and sharp and hard-headed, but beguiling when she wanted to be, fiercely protective once you got to know her, and _always_ up for pranking people. Long red hair and fierce gold eyes, she was just like Link remembered, only younger. Aveil, with her short hair and dark brown skin, was like Nabooru's little sister; as far as Link could tell they considered themselves as much. They were almost unnervingly similar sometimes, but Aveil was a little quieter, and not so hot-headed. Getting on her bad side was still a terrible idea though.

The others were all new to Link. Kian was loud and boisterous, hiding everything behind a wide, unwavering smile. He told terrible jokes and flirted with everyone, from the old ladies he helped with chores occasionally to stone-faced guards, usually when they were on duty. He had sharp tawny eyes and coppery red hair, when he let it grow.

Maram, the fairest and shortest of the group (aside from Link on both fronts), had bright orange hair she wore short and brighter yellow eyes, and a tongue so sharp she could cut anyone down to size with just a handful of words. She was a little mistrustful, plus the most reserved and careful of the group, something that Link knew caused her no small amount of grief. She was constantly battling to stop the others from running off and getting themselves killed or, perhaps worse, caught. Honestly Link wouldn't have blamed her if she just let them some time, as punishment.

Brown-eyed Dana and more-blonde-than-red-haired Simin were courting, which was a whole new world Link had yet to understand. At all. The others had tried to introduce him to it, explain it to him, but he couldn't say he was interested in the slightest. Of course, he had memories of such things, but as it was he just couldn't wrap his head around it.

But even so Dana and Simin seemed happy, so he was happy for them. Simin was basically the mother of the group, soft-spoken and calm in all situations, but with a reckless streak that got her in trouble with Maram on a regular basis. Dana, meanwhile, was unflinchingly cheerful in all things, and could never seem to keep quiet for long periods of time, something that presented a bit of an issue when it came to thievery, but she made do.

Link had never had a group of friends before, aside from maybe the Kokiri. It was almost like having a family, with all the squabbling and rowing and love that came with such a thing. Who would have thought he'd find such things through _Ganondorf_?

But, happy as he was, Hyrule was still crumbling around them. Things seemed to grow worse by the day, and they were all cracking under the strain. They had to help, they _had to_ , but it wasn't easy. With each passing week the punishments for stealing grew, even as Link and the others found themselves trying to help more and more people. It was a vicious cycle; the more they stole the higher the risk got, but then if they stopped people, innocent people, would suffer even more than they already did.

And they simply couldn't allow that to happen. Link had never thought he'd find himself trying to save Hyrule from itself, with Ganondorf of all people at his side. He lay awake thinking about it some nights, especially those plagued by nightmares of times long gone. It made him wonder if maybe he'd misjudged the Ganondorfs of ages past, and it frustrated him that he would never know. His former selves had all just been so compliant, so ready to do whatever was asked of them. They had never questioned anything; perfect little soldiers.

The beginning of the end began on one such night. Link found himself being shaken lightly awake from a restless doze filled with memories of fights long since won, and as he blinked the haze from his eyes to find a large figure looming over him, yellow eyes catching the light of the single candle they'd lit, he was overtaken by sudden, all-consuming fear. With a shriek he lashed out, hearing a hiss of pain as one of his fists connected before he scrambled back, finding himself getting tangled in his blankets as he did.

He flailed, thinking only of escape because Ganondorf was there, _right there_ , and he'd absolutely be killed if he couldn't get away. How had he been found? Ganondorf didn't usually actively seek him out so why, _why,_ was he here?!

'Link-!'

'Link, calm down!' Voices rose all around him, and for a moment he didn't recognise a single one. He was surrounded by shadows, theirs eyes all shining yellow in the candlelight. There was no escape, he was going to be killed. How had he ended up here, surrounded by people who all wanted to kill him?

Hands grasped his shoulders, forcing him to still, and panting he found himself looking at Simin, her brow creased with concern.

Oh. That was right. He wasn't in danger. These were his friends, this wasn't a Hyrule where he and Ganondorf were enemies, and it definitely wasn't the Gerudo Fortress of old. It was their creaky _'_ borrowed' house in the city. Ganondorf was Ganon or, more rarely, just Gan.

'Are you all right?' Simin asked, fingers squeezing Link's shoulders lightly as she peered at him through the gloom.

Sucking in a deep breath he swallowed, nodding a little shakily. 'Just- bad dream.'

Simin's face fell into a frown as she sat back, relinquishing her grip on his shoulders. 'You have a lot of those,' she said after a moment.

Link just shrugged in answer. He was used to it, but he wasn't sure what he, or the others, could do about it. To that day, Ganondorf was still the only one who knew of the things he remembered, of their shared destiny. At least, as far as he was aware. If Ganondorf _had_ told anyone then they hadn't mentioned it to Link, who was honestly quite happy for it to stay that way.

All those memories of lifetimes past had never felt as distant as they did now that he was living in the city, surrounded by friends, by people who would normally be his enemies. Things were different this time; the past had no hold on him. They didn't need to know, and he didn't need to think about it.

Well, not during waking hours, anyway.

'Sorry I yelled,' Link said as all the concerned eyes on him started to get uncomfortable. He let his own gaze drift past Simin onto Ganondorf, who was stood a little way behind her, also frowning. There was understanding in his expression, though, even if it was mildly bewildered and a little hurt.

Link immediately felt bad, offering his friend an apologetic grimace. He hadn't meant to react like that, but even if his past lives were distant these days they still weren't so easily forgotten, however much he would have liked that.

'You don't need to apologise.' Ganondorf stepped a little closer, folding his arms as a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. 'If we weren't awake before we definitely are now.'

'For sure,' Kian groaned around a wide yawn, rubbing a hand across his face.

'Why _are_ we all awake?' Link asked as he glanced around at the others, all of whom were in various states of awakeness where they sat or stood dotted around his little attic room. Their latest hideout was a pretty spacious house in the city's southern district, supposedly haunted and very much avoided by city residents. There had in fact been a couple of Poes loitering around when they'd first got there, but they'd been quickly dispatched of. After that Link had claimed the small attic space as his own, though during the day it always seemed to end up being the place they all hung out.

Why they were all congregated there now Link wasn't sure. There was definitely a reason, but now that the fear was ebbing away his thoughts felt slow, sluggish. His muddled memory was even more so. So he glanced between them expectantly, awaiting answers.

'Did you forget already?' Nabooru sounded like she was rolling her eyes from where she stood leaning in the doorway, but her face was all shrouded in shadow so Link couldn't tell for sure. 'We've got work to do.'

Scrunching up his face Link tried to jog his memory, things coming back in bits and pieces as he thought.

'Oh. Right.' All at once he remembered, his stomach twisting a little as he did.

That was right, they had a new target. A Lord, or one of the King's confidantes or something, whose manor they'd been eyeing up for weeks, maybe even months. He'd been away for all that time, but rumour had it he'd be returning within a week, meaning their window of opportunity had abruptly and rapidly shrunk. It was a lot easier to rob a house no one was sleeping in, after all.

So everything had been pushed forward. It wasn't like they'd had to hastily think up a plan or anything-that was just ridiculous, and a sure-fire way to get caught-but they usually had more time to prepare. Or at least more time to psyche themselves up.

As it stood though, tonight was the night. Link still had his misgivings, a kind of pit in his stomach he couldn't quite shake, but he wasn't about to bail. No way.

And anyway, nervous as he was, he couldn't say he wasn't pretty excited too. Like he always was when it came down to it. He _chose_ to do this, these were thrills he sought out. This was danger he willingly threw himself into, instead of being thrown in by someone else. There was a pretty big difference. It was fun because it wasn't, in the end, an obligation, or a burden. Trawling temples and battling monsters because he had to, because Hyrule needed saving, was just exhausting and terrifying. They had their moments, sure, but those were few and far between.

Being with Ganondorf and the others, though, was something else entirely. Maybe it _was_ an obligation, to friends and their expectations, and maybe they _were_ trying to save Hyrule, in a way, but this was something he had chosen for himself.

Having friends to watch his back was a pretty big bonus, as well. He didn't have to always be looking over his shoulder, always wondering what would happen if he got injured or died. If he did, well, then the others would carry on, wouldn't they?

'You're still half-asleep, aren't you?' Kian's voice was lightly mocking, but no sooner than he'd said the words he himself yawned, widely. The others all snickered; clearly Link wasn't the _only_ one not quite awake yet.

'I'm up,' Link said, standing to prove his point. 'Just give me a minute to get dressed.'

Now that he said it he realised the others were all already ready, dressed and geared up, raring to go. He considered asking why they hadn't woken him up earlier, then decided against it. They didn't have time to waste on questions that, in the end, weren't so important.

All the same, as the others all filed out of the attic Ganondorf lingered, glancing back with a frown as he stopped in the doorway. Link returned his gaze in silence, not sure what kind of expression he should be wearing. It was dark enough that it might not even matter, so he settled on something bland and a little empty.

'You sure you're all right?' Ganondorf asked after a moment, not so unpredictably.

'Yeah.' Nodding for emphasis Link set about finding some clothes, not wanting to stand around awkwardly as Ganondorf said whatever it was he wanted to say. 'Sorry again for, y'know, yelling. And hitting you, I guess.'

'It's fine. I just never thought my beautiful face could be nightmare fuel.' That made Link pause, snorting as he glanced round at Ganondorf. After a moment they both snickered softly, though the silence returned just as quickly.

'Was it… evil me?' Ganondorf eventually continued, sounding a little uncomfortable. 'I figure it must be, for you to start yelling like that.' Another pause, then a sigh. 'You know, sometimes I still think you were kidding about all that. It's just so… unbelievable, y'know? But then stuff like this happens and, wow, I must've been pretty awful.'

'It wasn't you.' Turning Link fixed him with a stern look. 'I mean, not _you_ , you. We've changed it, we've stopped it.' He grinned at Ganondorf though the shadows. 'Haven't we?'

Ganondorf paused, just briefly, before he heaved a sigh and grinned back. 'Yeah. I know _I_ have no plans of ruling, or destroying, Hyrule. Ever. But I've got to say, you've got pretty devious this last year – who knows, maybe it's your turn?'

The thought made Link laugh. 'Shut up,' he said, for good measure wadding up a shirt and lobbing it at Ganondorf's head. But it was easily dodged and its target, laughing and apparently reassured, vanished down the stairs.

Sighing with a slight shake of his head Link hurried to get ready, pulling on some of his 'thief clothes', as he called them; dark, nondescript, clothes that would help him blend into the shadows. For good measure he tugged on his cloak, leaving the hood down. For now. He wasn't the only one in their little group who hid his face, though it was the source of many ongoing, light-hearted arguments. To him, plus Dana and Aveil who also did it, it was sensible. To the others it was unnecessary, even if there _were_ several variations of Ganondorf and Nabooru's faces pinned to walls around the city. Most of them were horribly inaccurate, but the fact that they even existed in the first place was fairly telling, in Link's opinion.

But what could you do? They were stubborn like that.

Giving his hair a cursory brush with his fingers Link gathered up his lantern, his little pouch of tools, and his dagger; he'd downgraded from his sword not long after joining the group, at their insistence. He would admit it was handy in a pinch due to its size, and definitely less unwieldy or conspicuous, but he missed the comforting weight of a sword slung between his shoulders. Its absence always made him feel kind of naked. Exposed.

The others were all waiting for him when he bounded down the stairs, now wide awake at the prospect of a heist. The usual mix of excitement and nerves was squirming in his stomach, but he smiled around it as he joined the others.

'Ready to go?' Simin asked, to which he nodded. Nabooru made them all check their gear over one final time before she let them leave, and then they were off, slipping out into the warm summer night. The short nights gave them a much smaller timeframe, but they made do. At least the nights this time of year weren't cold, or rainy. That was the trade off, Link supposed.

It didn't take them long to reach their intended destination-their target's manor-which was to be expected, because they'd all memorised the route weeks back. And all other possible routes, as well, of course. Once they were there, ears and eyes pricked for any passers-by or their prying eyes, they split into two groups; Ganondorf, Kian, Simin, and Dana would do the actual stealing, while Link, Naboru, Maram, and Aveil stood guard. It was a big, expensive house, tall and wide with proper glass windows and all the unnecessary embellishments befitting of a Lord, hence why all eight of them were involved.

Link usually found it boring, being on watch, but every so often guards would pass by or someone would start asking questions. That's when things got interesting. He was never sure if he hoped more for things to go smoothly or for things to get messed up, if he was being honest. Both scenarios had their pros and cons.

He was weighing them up as he wandered a few streets away from the Lord's manor-he couldn't for the life of him remember the guy's name-on the lookout for guards or anything of the sort. They were really the only people who'd be around at this hour, and indeed as he watched a couple wandered by, spears resting on their shoulders as they patrolled, talking to one another. They didn't so much as glance at Link as he walked past, too engrossed in their conversation.

Things continued in a similar fashion for a good hour longer, until all at once Link found himself ducking into a side alley as he snuffed out his lantern to avoid a whole _platoon_ of soldiers. Not guards, _soldiers._ Armed to the teeth with the customary spears and swords, lanterns glowing at regular intervals along their lines.

And at their head, with a richly dressed man at her side… Captain Impa.

'Oh, _no_.' Pressing himself flat against the rough wall Link kept his eyes trained on the alley opening, not even daring to breathe as the Captain marched past, followed by her miniature army. As she was in almost every lifetime, Impa was Captain of the Royal Guard and the princess's caretaker, and this time around she also just happened to be probably the biggest threat to Link and his friends in all of Hyrule. Link was pretty sure they spent half their time just hiding from her, because she was ruthless and relentless and brilliant. It was like she could just… sense crime, because she or one of her lackeys always seemed to be there, watching. She was ridiculously good at her job.

Link had nearly got himself caught the first time he'd had a run-in with her, as shocked as he'd been to see her there. Which, in hindsight, he really shouldn't have been surprised by because she was _always_ there. As per usual she'd been a little different than he remembered, and his legs had completely locked up, leaving him standing like a lemon in the street. He'd been so used to having her as an ally that he'd completely forgotten he was supposed to be running away from her. Ganondorf'd had to drag him for a whole two minutes before he'd remembered how to use his legs.

It was weird, having her see him as an adversary instead of an ally. It kind of reminded him of the first time they'd met, when she'd hated him. Or at least, he'd always felt like she hated him. He'd definitely disliked her. Even so many lifetimes later, her sharp words of admonishment the first time they'd met still stung.

It took Link a few seconds to remember how to breathe once Impa passed by, and once he did he forced himself to trail after the platoon, sticking to side alleys and the deepest shadows as he tried to work out where they were headed. It was obviously important if Impa was there in person, _and_ with a veritable army at her heels.

In which case, it probably shouldn't have been a surprise when Link realised where their route would take them, or when he finally recognised the richly dressed man struggling to keep up with Impa's brisk pace.

The name still eluded him, but Link definitely recognised the man's face. The Lord whose house Ganondorf and the others were currently still inside. Which meant somehow Impa was onto them. How she knew Link had no idea, but then she always seemed to know, one way or the other.

At which point he darted into the nearest alleyway and, lifting his hands to his mouth, sent up the warning cry. One long, shrill whistle, one they all knew meant _danger_ , and also _scatter_.

The response was almost immediate. Impa's voice cut through the night, sharp and authoritative.

'You, find where that came from, catch them immediately. You, spread out, there will be more of them around. You, with me.'

Of course, Link was already running, sprinting away in the opposite direction. Letting his fingers brush against the nearest wall he plunged into the shadows, following one of the many paths he'd memorised. He hadn't stopped to see, or listen to, what Impa would do. Her sharp voice just happened to carry after him, like she was chasing him herself.

He knew what he needed to do, and that was get out of there. Their group would scatter, regroup in a few days. Hopefully no one would get caught. Behind him rose cries of 'stop!' and 'thief!', while even further beyond that came the echoes of his warning, rising into the night like screams. Sharp whistles, unmissable, from all different directions. Hopefully it would be enough to thin the herd, confuse the soldiers. Link wouldn't get his hopes up, though. This was Impa they were talking about.

As it turned out, he was right not to get his hopes up, because just a few corners later he found himself skidding to a halt, his path blocked by another soldier. The one following him slowed as well, both of them levelling their spears at his chest. Twisting so that he could see them both he tugged up his hood; if he got out of this bind he really didn't need his face joining Nabooru and Ganondorf's on the walls of Hyrule.

'If' being the operative word.

'No funny business,' one of the soldiers growled, voice a little muffled by their visor. 'Come with us nice and easy and maybe you'll see the sunrise.'

Link glanced between them, really wishing he had his sword right then. Their lanterns threw strange shadows over their armour, giving them a somewhat unsettling appearance that did nothing to dampen his flight reflex. But their spears were outstretched, blocking any chance of escape by simply charging either of them. Link supposed he could throw his dagger, hopefully incapacitate one of them and make a break for it. That was an option. There was really no other way to escape the narrow street they stood on, so taking out one of the soldiers appeared to be the only way out.

Throwing caution to the wind Link pulled his dagger free and let it fly, jumping forward even before he confirmed it had hit. If nothing else, he had faith in his aim. There was the clang of something hitting armour, a yelp, and then hands had caught one of his wrists, yanking him back sharply. Apparently the other guard had been closer than he'd thought, and a lot faster than he'd anticipated.

He twisted, yanking viciously at his arm, but the soldier clung tight and all Link could do was watch as the other one regained their footing, shaking their head briefly before one again levelling the spear they'd previously been flailing at his chest.

'Awfully small, this one,' the soldier who had Link's wrist in a death grip said as they twisted said wrist up and back, taking Link's arm with it. He winced and struggled, but it was no use. He wanted to elbow the guard, preferably in the face, but he knew that would only cause _him_ pain. Armour wasn't something you whacked with elbows. Plus, fighting back might even get his arm broken.

So, as the other soldier moved closer, he stopped struggling. Better to play it safe and wait for an opening than get himself tied up or knocked out or something.

The soldier in front of him leaned closer, lifting their lantern as if trying to see under his hood. Link cringed away from the bright light, keeping his head down.

'What are you, ten?' The soldier tutted. 'This city's really going downhill, I swear. Half the criminals we deal with these days are kids.'

'Tell me about it,' the other one agreed, and Link rolled his eyes. He got the impression they were underestimating him, but honestly he didn't mind it. Why would he? It meant he could catch them off guard.

But not yet. For now he'd bide his time.

Although, as he found himself being half led, half dragged through the quiet streets, he had to wonder if that wasn't a mistake. He could tell where they were headed, and he knew who'd be waiting for him when they got there. All he could do was hope none of the others hadn't been caught. He'd broken one of the core tenets of their group but he'd be sure to uphold the others. It didn't matter what Impa or her lackeys did to him, he wouldn't say a word.

As it turned out, though, that resolve was unnecessary. With a sensation like he'd been punched in the gut Link rounded the corner that led to the Lord's house and saw not one, not two, but _all_ of the others. They were all there, surrounded by soldiers, all mere inches away from being skewered. His three fellow lookouts were all at some stage of being restrained, while the four who'd gone into the manor were lined up in front of it, side by side with a forest of spears pointed at them. They all turned to look at him as he approached and he saw similar feelings to his own flash across all of their faces. Horror, disappointment, fear.

Link couldn't believe his eyes. They'd never had anything go as wrong as this before. Never.

How had this happened? How had Impa done it?

Reeling a little Link turned his gaze onto the Captain in question, finding her stood at the heart of the mess, arms folded and a stern, somewhat satisfied look on her face. As if sensing his gaze her bright red eyes flicked onto him and she tilted her head, scrutinising him. He glared back, not sure if she could even see his face under the hood.

For a moment there was quiet as Impa surveyed her catch, then with a nod she gestured to her soldiers. 'All right, with me. We're taking this lot back to the castle for judgement.'

The response was immediate, and Link found himself being forced forward, closer to the Captain, as all the soldiers closed ranks, forming a barrier of metal and muscle around the four lookouts. A glance towards the house revealed Ganondorf and the others were being corralled as well, soldiers barking orders as Kian spat insults and the others glared with all their might.

Link didn't know what to think. He felt kind of… numb. He couldn't quite believe this was happening. It was like a dream, or more accurately a nightmare. They'd been caught. All of them. How?

 _How?_

Obviously Impa had set some kind of trap-maybe the rumours that had spurred them into motion had been of her making-and they all knew her traps were nigh inescapable. Her reputation just wasn't for show, after all.

But still, for all of them to have been caught? For them to have not even thought of anticipating something like this? It was ridiculous, almost laughable, though Link was pretty sure the urge start giggling was just the panic. It was creeping in now, because they'd all been caught and he'd never been on the end of Hyrule's judicial system and he had no idea what to expect. The not knowing was the worst.

How had things gone so horribly, terribly wrong?

He was wondering it for the fiftieth time when things got even worse. Ahead of him a sudden scuffle broke out, soldiers' voices rising as Nabooru started yelling.

'Get off me!' she yelled, and between the gaps in the armour around him Link saw her struggling, breaking free of the restraining hands on her arms. Everyone else seemed to pause, and Link was pretty sure he heard Impa sigh, and then, just when it looked like Nabooru's efforts would be useless, Aveil suddenly appeared beside her, having somehow nabbed one of the soldiers' spears. She swung it wildly, sending soldiers skittering back in every direction, and then the others were yelling, voices mingling with the soldiers', and everything started descending into chaos. Ganondorf and Kian, trying to move closer without being skewered- Dana and Simin trying to run and being forced to the floor- Maram lashing out at nearby soldiers- Nabooru slamming a soldier to the cobbles, Aveil at her side-

If they could just cause enough mayhem then maybe, _maybe-_

Hands tightened viciously on Link's arm and he flinched, craning his head round to level a glare at the soldier behind him.

'Oh no you don't,' they said, sounding so smug it was infuriating. Link replied with a savage stamp on their unprotected instep. It made him feel better, as the soldier hissed in pain, overbalancing slightly, at least until he found himself being shoved to the ground. Hard. His chin smacked against the cobbles and he nearly bit his tongue as his teeth clacked together, though he was distracted from the pain by the sight of Nabooru and Aveil being given similar treatment through the forest of legs ahead of him. Maram was being restrained by three soldiers, hair and eyes wild.

'Get your hands off them!' It was Ganondorf, backed up against the wall of the manor, his yellow eyes seeming to almost glow in the gloom. Link couldn't tell if it was from the light from the lanterns or from some other, internal source. Either way it was eerie. Link could see the soldiers nearest him hesitating, though aside from that nobody paid him the slightest attention. The others were causing too many distractions. Nabooru was hissing threats, Aveil was having the spear wrestled from her, and as Link watched one of the soldiers planted a solid kick in Maram's ribs. She recoiled soundlessly, face contorting, and all around voices rose up in protest. Link's might've been one of them, but his heart was suddenly thundering in his ears, making it kind of hard to hear. His left hand was prickling, his chin and his arm hurt.

'Try that again you son of a bitch-!' Ganondorf's voice again, cutting through the chaos, just as several of the soldiers' lanterns exploded. More yelps, the tinkle of broken glass falling to the floor. That caught Link's attention, that and the slight tingle of magic suddenly in the air, his gaze shooting to Ganondorf who looked a little spooked. It didn't last long, though, as his expression settled into one of steely resolve and he took another step forward.

'I said _get your hands off my friends_!' His voice rose, rang with power, and then-

And then the world exploded.


	8. Retreat, Regroup, Recuperate

8- _Retreat, Regroup, Recuperate_

Everything was on fire. The cobblestones, the soldiers, even the sky seemed like it was ablaze.

Link darted between panicked figures, ignoring the screams and yells rising up all around him as he looked for someone, anyone he recognised. Smoke was starting to fill the air, making it hard to see and even harder to breathe. He'd felt a spike of panic, when the fire had first appeared, but now he'd settled into the usual rhythm. Clamp down on all unwanted feelings, ignore the fear or pain or whatever else, and just get the job done.

That job being finding the others.

He found Nabooru and Aveil first; Aveil was helping Nabooru to her feet, both of them looking around with definite fear on their faces.

'You all right, kid?' Nabooru asked as she caught sight of him, visibly pulling on a shroud of false calm, and he gave her a half-nod, half-shrug kind of gesture. 'Good. Got any idea what's going on here?'

He started to shake his head, then paused. He had a pretty good idea, actually. Looking towards the manor he found he couldn't see the others, only leaping shadows from the fire and hectic soldiers running around in the smoke trying to deal with it. From somewhere within the chaos Impa was barking orders, and every so often he felt a surge of magic quickly followed by the hiss of doused flames.

It didn't seem to be doing any good though. The whole world felt like it was on fire.

'Come on, we need to find the others.' Nabooru stood still for a moment, looking around, then walked out into the commotion without the slightest hesitation. Aveil followed without a word, and Link did the same after another moment. The others might have already fled, that's what they were supposed to do, after all, so they were really just risking being caught again, but he wasn't about to leave until he knew everyone was safe.

This was his element, after all. Chaos, pandemonium. Fire wasn't half as bad as lava, and they weren't even in an enclosed space. The only real threat was any soldiers not focusing on putting the fire out, but as he made his way through the crowd Link couldn't see that being a problem. What were seven or eight thieves when it came to stopping the whole city burning down? Petty criminals could wait, the flames would not.

They found Kian, Simin, and Dana next. Kian was on Dana's back, unconscious, burns all up his right side. Dana herself looked a little charred around the edges; there was ash on her clothes, and her hair had been singed. Simin seemed relatively unscathed, but shaken.

'You lot get out of here,' Nabooru said, or rather yelled, once the initial shock of the sight of them wore off, gesturing urgently. 'Get him patched up. I'll find Gan and Maram.'

'I'm staying,' Link yelled back, and Nabooru's angry response was cut off by a voice nearby. 'We'll find them together!'

'I'm here.' Maram suddenly appeared from the confusion, looking none the worse for wear despite her treatment at the hands of the guards. 'Let's find Gan and go.'

'I'll find him,' Link said, shaking his head and raising a hand as Nabooru tried to say something. He met her gaze and held it. ' _No_. I'll find him. You need to look after the others, and you need to get Kian help.'

Simin might have been the mother of the group, but Nabooru was the one in charge. She was the one they all listened to in times of crises, the one who would keep them calm and stop them from doing anything dangerous.

They wanted to argue, he could see it in all their faces, but he didn't give them a chance. He just turned away and dove back into the chaos, heading for the manor. Nabooru would take care of everything, so all he needed to do was worry about Ganondorf. He had to be around there somewhere, probably freaking out about what he'd just done.

After all, they'd all thought his magic was pretty weak. Good for little things, for tricks and traps, but nothing on this scale.

Of course, 'they' didn't include Link, because he'd known. How could he not? It didn't matter what time or year or age it was, Ganondorf was powerful. He always would be, as long as his spirit was bound to the Triforce of Power. Likewise, Link was always reckless when it came to other people. If he could protect them, he would, no matter the cost.

So he headed back into the chaos, dodging soldiers, skirting around bright tongues of flame, choking on the smoke. It didn't take him long to reach the front of the manor, and it didn't take him much longer to find Ganondorf. He was stood motionless not far from one of the windows, now empty of its panes, watching the pandemonium around him.

'Ganon!' Link nearly ran straight into him in his haste, just managing to pull up short before they collided. He grabbed one of his friend's arms, tugging. ' _Gan!'_

'Link…' Ganondorf blinked slowly, turning to look at Link with fear in his eyes. 'I did this, Link. I _did this._ And Kian- Kian was on fire and he- oh Din, what did I do? How did this happen?!'

'Now's not the time,' Link said firmly, giving Ganondorf's arm another tug. 'We need to go before Impa gets things back under control.'

Ganondorf's brow furrowed. 'How are you so calm?' His voice was weak, distant. He looked like he might collapse at any moment.

'This isn't the worst situation I've been in. Not even close.' Link gave the arm in his hands another firm tug. 'It's barely even life-or-death. We're going to be fine, so just come _on_.'

'But…'

It was kind of tempting to slap him, maybe stomp on one of his feet, but Link resisted. Instead he just turned away and started yanking Ganondorf along, hauling him towards the nearest alley. After a minute or so he stopped dragging his feet, which made Link's work a little easier.

They left the scene without looking back-or at least, Link didn't look back-and kept walking until the soldiers' yelling was distant and the only sign of the fire was dark plumes of smoke rising up towards the night sky.

Only then did Link let them stop, watching as Ganondorf immediately slid down the nearest wall, dropping his head into his hands.

'How are you so calm?' he asked again, voice muffled by his palms, and Link sighed as he moved to stand next to his friend. He sank against the wall, curling his hands into fists because he could feel them starting to tremble.

'Like I said. This kind of thing, I'm used to it.'

'Me setting fire to things?'

'Well, yeah, I guess.' Link paused, pursed his lips. 'Though fire's not usually the way you go- went. Energy balls were always more your things.'

'And let's not forget that pig monster.'

'Oh yeah, that too.'

Ganondorf gave a heavy sigh, slumping a little further. 'I always kind of thought you were joking about that. I've never- _never_ done anything as powerful as- as this.' He sat back, training his gaze on his hands as he flexed his fingers. 'And I didn't even mean to it just- I can't believe I did that.' He seemed more horrified than anything, which honestly Link found himself relieved about. If Ganondorf had been excited, or awed, or something, he'd probably have been worried.

But Ganondorf wasn't, and so Link wasn't. Instead he just felt bad that a friend was clearly so upset.

'Kian'll be fine, y'know,' he said after a moment, as his thoughts turned to the rest of their friends. 'His injuries didn't look bad at all.'

Ganondorf didn't reply, and Link resisted the temptation to regale him with tales of some of the worse injuries he'd got in various Fire Temples, because lava could really do a number on you even when you were wearing protective magic. He'd been set on fire more times than he could count. Kian would be fine.

'We should go,' Ganondorf eventually said, though he made no move to stand. 'The others, they'll-' he stopped, and Link could practically see the thoughts running through his head. Ganondorf wasn't nearly as inscrutable as he'd thought, once you got to know him.

'They'll be worried, Gan,' Link finished, nudging him in the side with the toe of his boot. 'They have no idea what happened. It wasn't your fault, they'll forgive you.'

Ganondorf tilted his head to look at Link. 'You really think so?'

Link just smiled and offered him a hand.

* * *

They found the others in the back rooms of a certain doctor's establishment, one who catered to the city's more questionable residents. It smelled like herbs, and there was a careful quietness in the air, a general acknowledgement of the need to be discreet. The lamps in the inner rooms were all lit, filling the place with warm yellow light, so different to the blaze of Ganondorf's fire.

When Link and Ganondorf got there Kian was being patched up, the others all sitting around anxiously as they waited for the doctor to be done. There was a palpable impatience in the air, because they needed to _leave_. They needed to flee the city for a while, as was always the plan if things went wrong on a job.

And things couldn't have gone much more wrong than they had that night.

When Ganondorf, pushed by an increasingly impatient Link, stumbled into the room the others were waiting in, the relief that flooded all five faces was immediate. They crowded around, voices all mingling together, but the general gist of their questions was obvious.

'I'm fine, we're fine.' Sounding as relieved as the others Ganondorf glanced back at Link, who was hanging back to avoid the crush. 'Are you all okay? How- how's Kian?'

'Fine,' Simin replied, her smile maybe a little strained. 'Shaken and confused but… fine.'

'The doctor says Kian's burns all looked worse than they really were,' Dana continued when Simin paused. 'He probably won't even scar.'

Ganondorf seemed to sag a little at that, letting out a short sigh as he did. Link, still stood mostly outside the room, watched in silence, trying to get a handle on his own relief, which was swelling in his chest and making him feel suddenly exhausted. It was like he'd been hanging on till this moment, and now he really wanted to just sit down.

'So, want to tell us what happened back there?' Nabooru as ever turned immediately to the matter at hand, folding her arms and fixing Ganondorf with a just barely-there glare, her relief ebbing in the face of her confusion and, perhaps, suspicion.

Ganondorf visibly cringed. 'Well, that's…' he paused, clearly at a loss as to how to explain, so Link sighed and wormed his way into the room, finding somewhere to sit before turning to address his friends. They were all looking at him, dishevelled and confused.

'His magic flared up,' he said, not meaning for it to come out quite so, well, _condescending_ , and he frowned slightly as he processed his tone. Nabooru was frowning too, a gradually deepening crease between her eyebrows that said she wasn't in a good mood.

Well, he couldn't blame her, really. This night had been hellish.

'I'd say that was more than "flaring up",' Maram said after a moment, glancing between Link and Ganondorf. 'Gan's never been able to do anything like that. Are you sure it wasn't something the soldiers did? Or Impa?'

'No, it was definitely Ganon,' Link said with a slight shake of his head. Ganondorf seemed to sag a little more; in fact he looked like he might crumple at any moment. 'You've always had that much power, probably more,' Link continued, shrugging. 'You've just never tapped into it before.'

'How do you know?' Nabooru was rapidly heading to outright suspicion. 'And if you knew, why didn't you say anything?'

'It's… complicated.' Now it was Link who was looking to Ganondorf for help. 'And I didn't tell because…' Because despite everything, he still worried what the future would bring, what Ganondorf would do when he learnt just how powerful he really was.

'Does it really matter? We probably wouldn't have believed him anyway.' Ganondorf seemed a little perturbed by Link's lack of response, but it didn't stop him from cutting in. 'Up till now we've thought all I could do was, well, parlour tricks.' He paused, a vulnerable look crossing his face. 'But then I… I could've killed you all.'

That immediately prompted an outburst of protests and a fair amount of head shaking, plus tutting from Simin and Nabooru.

'We all know you'd never hurt us, Gan, not intentionally,' Aveil said softly, squeezing one of his arms.

He offered her a small smile in return, though his heart clearly wasn't in it. 'That's just it, though, isn't it? This wasn't intentional in any way, but I still-'

He was interrupted by the door at the back of the room crashing open, a moment before a broadly smiling Kian stepped through. His eyes immediately found Ganondorf, and if anything his smile got even wider.

'If it isn't my favourite firestarter! Where'd you learn that trick?' There was a pause, in which Ganondorf cringed a little, then Kian seemed to soften a little. 'I'm fine, Gan.' He spread his arms for emphasis; his right one was coated in a thin sheen of translucent slime that caught the light and gleamed mutely. He had some on his face too, and a small pot in one hand that Link assumed held more of whatever salve the doctor had used.

'The good doctor patched me up, good as new,' Kian continued, crossing to join them, seven pairs of concerned eyes watching him approach. 'Seriously, I'm fine you guys. And if I get some cool new scars?' He shrugged. 'S'no skin off my nose.'

'All the same, I'm sorry. Truly.' Ganondorf had his sincere face on, eyes fixed on Kian who, like most people did when Ganondorf fixed them with _the look_ , started squirming after a few seconds.

'Like I said, it's- it's fine. But seriously, where _did_ you learn it? That was some pretty powerful magic.'

That did the trick; the intensity in Ganondorf's expression faded into slight bewilderment and thoughtfulness. A moment later he just shrugged. 'I got desperate, and angry, and it kind of…'

'Exploded?' Dana offered when he paused, waving his hands slightly. He nodded, Kian whistled.

'That's some serious power, imagine what you could do if you got a handle on it.'

'Okay, I _just_ nearly burnt half of you to death and you're already telling me to try it out again?' Ganondorf shook his head. 'No. No, for now, we need to get out of here. Lay low, wait for this mess to blow over. Captain Impa's probably memorised most of our faces now… we'll need to be even more careful.'

None of the others argued; they all knew he was right. Impa had just become an even bigger threat, if that was even possible. But, at the very least, she would be distracted by the fire that night. They had a slim window of opportunity to flee the city, and the Captain would be sure to hunt them down if they didn't take it. There was a chance she would follow them further than the city's walls, but they all knew she rarely strayed far from Castle Town. Only if the princess was travelling somewhere, which she did only once or twice a year.

So they fled. They didn't exactly have much choice. Link, Aveil, and Maram headed back to their hideout to collect whatever supplies they could grab in twenty minutes while the others went ahead. None of them looked back at the smoke still rising to the north.

They met up again in a small hamlet a few hours' walk from the city, and from there they headed for the forest. It was familiar territory for them all, and they knew how to make the best of it. Link considered, briefly, heading back to Ordon, possibly with his friends in tow, but ultimately decided against it. What if Impa did follow them? He'd be putting the whole village in danger. Plus, he wasn't quite sure how he'd face them. Not after how he'd left, not now that he was part of a band of thieves. He didn't regret his choices, or feel bad about the stealing, but all the same he didn't want to see how they'd react if they found out.

All the same, despite his best efforts he still found himself thinking of Ordon a lot, during the weeks spent in the forest. Ilia, Rusl, Uli… the toddlers who probably weren't toddlers anymore, the Mayor, _Epona_ …

He missed them. How could he not? His time in Ordon might've been marred by his looming destiny, or whatever, but it was still home in the end. Forests always had been, and probably always would be.

Given everything that had happened, their little group ended up staying in the woods for a good few months. Occasionally one of them would head out to one of the nearby villages or hamlets to see if anyone was searching for them, but city gossip very rarely reached the outlying rural areas so they had no real way of knowing if it was safe to return or not.

To be honest, though, Link didn't mind the break from city life, or thievery, much at all. After the first few nervous, paranoid days it became more like a vacation or something, just a group of friends camping out in the woods, relaxing and recuperating. Kian healed up nicely, and at the insistence of the others Ganondorf would occasionally try to tap into his power again. His reluctance meant he never really succeeded, though Link kept quiet on the whole affair. He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

And there was a wall, now, between Ganondorf and the others. Particularly between him and Kian. They could all sense it, but Link got the impression none of them knew how to address it. _He_ didn't know how to, and they were all older than him. They were supposed to be better at these kinds of things than he was.

So none of them ever knew what to do when Ganondorf wandered off on his own, vanishing for hours at a time. Link usually ended up volunteering to find him, and most of the time he did. When Nabooru asked him how he managed it he just shrugged and suggested luck, because he didn't know how to go about explaining that he and Ganondorf were bound together, so long as the Triforce pieces remained imprinted on their hands. Plus he was pretty sure it really was just luck that he found Ganondorf half the time.

Which was how he felt when, for the tenth time in almost as many weeks, he stumbled across Ganondorf sat in pensive silence in a random location deep within the forest. Or maybe not so deep, this time; he was sat on the ledge above the Spirit Spring of Faron Woods, legs dangling down, gaze fixed on the small little waterfall at its back. That was pretty near civilisation.

Link hesitated for a second or two, eyeing the spring a little warily, then moved to plonk himself down at his friend's side. He didn't say anything as he sat, breathing in the almost heady smell of damp earth and clear water, like Ganondorf training his gaze on the water. They were well into autumn now, the air crisp and getting colder, the rain getting more frequent, the leaves slowly shifting away from their usual green. When the sun caught on them they were beautiful, and when they fell they made a patchwork carpet of red and orange and yellow. It had been a while since Link had just stopped to enjoy nature; back in Ordon he'd been too preoccupied with his looming fate, and then he'd been too busy looking for Ganondorf, and then there weren't exactly many trees in the city.

It was nice.

They stayed like that, sat side by side in a silence broken only by the steady trickle of the falls and the occasional burst of birdsong, for a little while. Link wasn't sure quite how long, but he decided to just sit back and enjoy it. Kicking his feet gently he waited, because all he ever needed to do was wait.

'I've noticed how you never say anything, when the others pester me about magic,' Ganondorf eventually said, not lifting his eyes from the spring. 'Why is that?'

'Should I have said anything? I'm not the one with magic, it's not my decision to make.' Leaning back Link switched to looking at the trees. It wasn't an answer, not really; they could both tell he was avoiding the question, he was sure.

Ganondorf scoffed lightly, confirming Link's suspicions. 'Please. I think we both know why you haven't said anything.

'Then why'd you ask?'

' _Link_.'

Begrudgingly, Link dropped his gaze from the trees, where he found Ganondorf watching him with raised eyebrows. He shrugged, pursing his lips and not saying anything.

'All right, I'll say it for you then.' Clearing his throat Ganondorf sat up a little straighter. 'You don't want to say you're against me learning to tap into whatever power this thing gives me-' he lifted his hand so that they could both see his Triforce piece, '-because you don't want to hurt my feelings. But you also don't want to say you're for it because you've seen just how _evil_ I can be when I have power like that.'

'You're not evil,' Link said, stubbornly, even if he made no move to dispute Ganondorf's words. 'Not you.'

'Not yet.'

'Not _ever_. Don't make me push you into this spring.' Link's threat came out a little sharper than he'd intended, which got Ganondorf's eyebrows rising again.

'Why are you the one getting wound up?'

Link sighed, then took a deep breath. 'Obviously I'm not the only one, given how you keep slinking off to sulk.'

'Who's sulking?!' Ganondorf looked immediately affronted. 'I'm… thinking. There's a difference.'

'We all know thinking's bad for you.'

'Easy for you to say, you never think.'

'Shut up.' Link shoved at Ganondorf's shoulder, but by the time he steadied himself they were both grinning. 'If you're so worried about hurting someone else then you need to learn to control your power. It's hardly complicated.'

'And if I go off the deep end?'

'You won't.'

'But if I do?'

'You _won't_.' Link met Ganondorf's eyes, holding his gaze as he spoke firmly. 'You know what I think'll send you off the deep end? Hurting your friends. You want my opinion on you and your magic? Learn how to handle your power so you don't have to worry about hurting people you care about every time you get stressed, or angry, or anything.'

After a moment the continued eye contact got uncomfortable, and Link dropped his gaze away. There was silence then, as they both tried to think of something to say.

Eventually Ganondorf gave a low chuckle, shaking his head slightly. 'It shouldn't be a surprise, all things considered, but you're pretty smart, kid.'

'Seriously? I'm nearly fourteen.'

Ganondorf snorted, then stood slowly, brushing himself down. 'Yeah, you are. That makes you a kid, _kid_.'

A retort immediately jumped to the tip of Link's tongue but he swallowed it down, ignoring it in favour of taking the hand Ganondorf offered him a moment later. Once Link was back on his feet Ganondorf turned to start walking away, looking a little lighter than he had done in a while. There was a kind of confidence in his steps, a little regained resolve.

If Link felt any twinges of unease he resolutely ignored them as he followed Ganondorf back to their camp. They joked and laughed along the way, and any and all misgivings were quickly forgotten in the face of the walls Ganondorf had been building these past few months crumbling, if only a little bit. Link was glad. He'd missed the easy chatter their group was so good at, so hopefully once Ganondorf stopped worrying it would return.

In the end his hopes were pointless, though, because things were only going to get worse.


	9. Branching Paths

_**Sorry for the delay. I can't believe I've already run out of steam for this story. Hopefully it'll pick up again soon.**_

* * *

9- _Branching Paths_

The thing about Link never really having had a proper group of friends before was that he'd never gone through having a group of friends fall apart before, either.

It started slowly, so slowly he never saw it coming, really. Dana and Simin began quietly distancing themselves from the others, spending more time alone together, talking quietly and seriously, frowns on their faces, their hands tightly intertwined. The rest of them put it down to changes in their relationship; they were courting, it was natural they'd want to spend time alone, wasn't it?

But then came the day they, collectively, decided it was time to go back to the city. They'd left it abandoned for too long; people they had so often helped would be struggling, and couldn't be left to go it alone for any longer. Impa would no doubt still be on the lookout for them, so they would have to take things slowly and carefully, but it was time to return. The Captain's wrath was a risk they were willing to take.

Well, not all of them, as it turned out.

'We're not going back,' Simin said quietly, as they were packing up their things in preparation for the next morning, when they would finally be leaving the safety of Hyrule's fields and forests.

Everyone immediately stopped, and there was a long, heavy silence. Link felt like there was a pit opening up in his stomach, gaping wide and hollow. It didn't hurt, per se, but it didn't feel great either. He knew the feeling well; he was all too familiar with situations like these. His first response was denial, telling himself he'd heard wrong, that this couldn't be headed the way he thought it was.

He already knew, deep down, that it was.

The gaping hole gaped wider.

'What do you mean, "not going back"?' Kian eventually asked, setting his bag down with a soft thump. Link wondered if he was just asking for asking's sake, because the long pause said they all knew what Simin had really meant. 'If you're worried about Impa then-'

'No.' Simin shook her head. 'You guys are going, but we're not.'

'You're leaving.' Nabooru wasn't asking. The statement, quiet but firm, silenced them all for another long moment. Eventually Dana nodded slightly, and Simin reached out to take her hand. Ice seemed to flood through Link's veins as he processed the little gesture, even if he'd known already. He dropped his gaze onto the floor, frozen where he stood.

He hadn't expected this, not at all. He'd thought, maybe childishly, that they'd all stay together forever. From the looks on the others' faces, though, he wasn't the only one. None of them knew what to say, they were all just stood in silence.

They were leaving. They were _leaving_.

'Well, that's that then. You'd better get going.' Maram's voice was cool when she finally spoke, and all eyes fell on her in surprise. Hurt appeared on Dana's face, resignation on Simin's. Link didn't like where this was heading; he could feel the tension rising in the air, taut and suffocating. Worse than the emptiness in his stomach.

'Maram, what-?' Ganondorf seemed at a loss, then he stretched out a hand towards Dana and Simin in a _stay_ kind of gesture. 'No, _no_. You can't just leave, that's-'

'They want to leave, Gan, so just let them.' Folding her arms Maram threw a glare towards the couple. 'Good riddance, I say.'

Immediately, protests rose up from all sides.

'Maram-!'

'What's got into you?'

'Why are you getting mad?'

Link didn't know what to say. It was like all his words had fled, leaving him mute. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to think, he didn't know what to feel. He'd lost so many people, so the situation wasn't exactly unfamiliar, but this was the first time he wasn't the only one losing someone. Or two someones. He could see all the emotions he'd felt himself over the lifetimes playing out in the faces around him and it was bewildering, disorientating.

It was worse, somehow, because he wasn't the only one in pain. He could handle just himself hurting, but to see his friends like this? On the brink of falling apart, heading towards a full blown argument?

It was so much worse.

'No!' Maram suddenly threw up her hands, shaking her head as she raised her voice over the others'. 'If they want to bail then let them. We don't need friends who turn tail as soon as things get tough!'

'That's not it at all!' Dana had tears in her eyes, a painfully earnest look on her face.

'Of course it is!' Maram jabbed a finger at her. 'You're scared. You're scared so you're running. We're supposed to look after each other, not abandon each other. What's there to be scared of? We have each other's backs, we keep each other safe!'

'If you'll recall, that didn't work out so well last time.' Simin's tone, by comparison to Maram's angry one, was level and measured, albeit a little tight. 'We all got caught. If Gan hadn't exploded like he had we'd all be in jail, maybe even hanged by now.'

'Guys, come on…' Kian had his hands stretched out in a placating way, his voice a gentle plead. He was ignored.

'That won't happen again,' Nabooru chipped in suddenly, a definite undercurrent of threat in her words. 'Never again.'

Ganondorf seemed to cringe a little, turning his bewildered, hurt expression onto Nabooru. 'The magic? Or getting caught?'

'What?' Obviously caught off guard Nabooru just blinked for a moment. 'Both. And that's not what I meant, Gan. That's not even the problem here.'

Ganondorf's eyes narrowed slightly, and then suddenly he and Nabooru were arguing too, albeit more quietly than Maram and Simin.

'Am I a liability now? Just another danger we'll need to calculate around?' Ganondorf demanded, eyebrows pulling together when Nabooru sighed. 'Why are you sighing?'

'Because you're being ridiculous, Gan. No one said anything like that, and like I said your insecurities aren't the problem right now! This is _so_ _far_ from the time to be talking about that.'

The air was steadily getting heavier and heavier. It weighed down on Link, who felt like he was being silently choked. He couldn't speak, even if he felt like he needed to. Someone had to be a voice of reason, and he'd been through this enough times that he'd probably be able to calm them all down.

But he couldn't speak. Words failed him, his voice failed him. All he could do was stand, silent, as his friends fell apart.

'Why are you getting so angry, Maram?' Kian looked a little how Link felt, his hands still outstretched and ignored.

'Because they're abandoning us! Why _aren't_ you angry?'

'Well why do _you_ want us all to sacrifice ourselves so badly?' Now Simin was getting worked up, clearly reaching the end of her tether. Link had only seen her angry once before, but it hadn't been like this. Now she just seemed tired, and hurt, and honestly Link couldn't blame her. He wondered if he ought to be angry, like Maram, because Simin and Dana had to have known this would happen.

But at the same time he understood. The desire to be safe, wanting to avoid be bound to a certain fate. If they left now, it was likely Impa would forget about them, in time. It was likely the city would forget them. They'd be free, and safe. Link and the others would make sure of it.

'We're not obligated to get ourselves hanged, you do realise that right?' Simin continued as Dana nodded at her side. 'We're allowed to not do everything and anything you want us to. Just because we're friends doesn't mean we owe you our lives!'

'You just don't understand, Maram!' The words seemed to burst from Dana, whose eyes were brimming with tears. 'We just want to feel safe! There are things we want to do but- but we need a home to come back to and if things carry on the way they are there won't be anything left and something we can't take back will happen and- and so-!'

As his friends voices rose up all around him Link was tempted to cover his ears, or more preferably yell at them to just _stop_ , but as it was he still couldn't get his voice box to work. He was so frustrated with himself.

In the end, though, he didn't need to worry, because Ganondorf apparently had the same idea.

'Okay, enough! Enough.' He raised his voice and it reverberated with power, not as intensely as it had the night with the fire all those months ago, but enough to get everyone's attention. They fell silent, all eyes turning to Ganondorf, who swept his gaze over them all in return.

'This is ridiculous,' he continued when he was sure he had everyone's attention. 'This is- well, it isn't us. Maram, I know you're upset, I think we all are, but getting angry won't help anything.'

Maram folded her arms tightly across her chest, as if they could somehow act as a barrier, and looked at the floor.

'Dana, Simin…' Ganondorf's voice tailed off as he looked at them, pressing his lips together firmly as his brow crumpled with grief. 'You're sure this is what you want to do?'

They glanced at each other once, then nodded in unison. Everyone was silent for a moment, having almost forgotten that simple truth in the heat of the moment. They were really planning on leaving. It wasn't up for debate, they wouldn't be talked out of it.

Still, Kian clearly had to try, because he stepped forward with a pleading expression. 'No- no you can't just _leave_. We're a team, in this together. Even if you don't want to go out and steal stuff anymore we- we _need_ you. You're our friends you can't-' his voice cracked and he fell silent. Link's heart went out to him; he was sure they were all feeling the same, even if they wouldn't admit it.

'It's not like it'll be forever. We never wanted it to be forever,' Simin said after a moment. 'It's just… there's so much more out there and we- we want to see it while we still can. Before we get hanged or shot or- or something. Things were never meant to get so serious. Or so dangerous. I'd like to help people some other way, and I want Dana to be safe.'

They glanced at each other, then Dana turned back to the rest of them with a sad smile. 'We're still friends, though, right? We'll always be friends.'

'Obviously. You're stuck with us forever.' Kian managed a grin and a wink as he spoke, which earned him a few soft, sad chuckles.

'We- well, _I_ \- won't hold this against you,' Ganondorf added. 'I can't blame you for wanting out of this craziness we're getting ourselves into. And… it'll be good to know you two, at least, are safe and away from all this.'

'I wish I could say the same,' Simin replied, sharing another glance with Dana. 'You'll be careful, won't you? All of you?'

Nabooru scoffed. 'Like we aren't already anyway.'

'I'll-' Maram paused, then sighed heavily. 'I'll keep them in line.'

Dana gave her a small, tentative smile. 'We'll be counting on you.'

Maram just huffed in reply, looking away, her mouth pulling down at the corners.

For a moment nobody moved, but then Link sprang forward to hug them both. He so rarely got to give people a proper goodbye; usually they just left, leaving him alone in the silence they left behind. Dana and Simin, though, both laughed a little and hugged him back, encircling him with their arms and pulling him close. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the tell-tale sting of tears in his nose and willing himself to stay together.

He clung to them for as long as he could then stepped back, giving a hearty sniff as they both smiled down at him. Their warmth lingered for a moment, though it stole away the further he got from them. He had to keep moving back, though, because now the others were crowding in, having been spurred into movement.

There was a good five minutes of hugs and goodbyes and soft promises to be careful and look after each other, but eventually they all ran out of words. They were left standing a little way apart, Dana and Simin side by side opposite the rest of them, tears in everyone's eyes and trembles in everyone's voices.

Simin took a deep breath. 'This isn't forever,' she said, her voice holding steady somehow. 'We'll see you soon. Be _careful_.'

They chorused they would, and then all at once Simin and Dana were glancing at each other, lifting their hands in slight waves, turning away. They faced the setting sun and started walking, shadows stretching out behind them, throwing all their friends into cool shade. They didn't look back.

In the end they left silence in their wake, after all. Link figured he was already a few steps ahead of the others in regards to processing what had just happened, working through his emotions, and it seemed to be true when he was the first to move. Everything suddenly felt colder and a little grey, so he was going to get the fire started. He needed something to do, something to distract himself with.

He was sad, he was a little angry too, he was relieved those two, at least, would be okay. He'd process all of that later, when the knot in his chest loosened a little.

It was different, in a way, to parting with a travelling companion. It was a different kind of relationship, he supposed. Somehow it hurt more and less at the same time.

At least he still had the others.

Unless any more of them decided to leave.

He wouldn't dwell on that right now. That was something he could avoid addressing until it actually happened. _If_ it actually happened.

Goddesses, he hoped it didn't.

And it wasn't like anyone had _died_. There was every chance he'd see Simin and Dana again. Maybe it would be years, but it wouldn't be forever. They hadn't died, they hadn't sealed themselves away to protect the world from evil.

So much for the fire distracting him.

Still, by the time he got it lit the others had all roused themselves from their stupors, crowding around the flames in silence. Link wished someone would talk, but guessed that they, like him, couldn't find any words.

They packed up their things and left early the next morning, and Link could see the others all stealing glances at the horizon, just like he was, as if they were all looking for two silhouettes they knew weren't coming back.

He had never been so grateful for the bustle of the city when they arrived later that day. They had all agreed they would meet up at one of the safe houses that evening, and until then they were to split up. Link, Kian, Ganondorf, and Maram all headed off on their own, while Nabooru and Aveil stayed together. It felt a little wrong, but honestly Link was a little relieved. The pensive silence had been getting to him.

So the hustle and bustle of the city was refreshing. There were so many voices, there was so much to look at and do. He supposed he was still just distracting himself, in the end, but he figured it was better than dwelling.

With nothing better to do he lost himself in the city's liveliness, hoping his words would come a little easier once night fell.


	10. Helplessness

10- _Helplessness_

Things were slowly getting back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be when you suddenly found yourself missing two friends. And as normal as they could be when you spent every waking moment in fear of the Captain of the Royal Guard.

In the end the second part wasn't really all that different from before, Link supposed. They just had a lot more cause for worry now. There hadn't been any visible changes in security around the city since they'd left, but none of them could shake the feeling that something had changed. Maybe it was the guards' demeanours, the way they carried themselves like they might squash anything in their paths. Maybe it was the way most of their group's contacts had gone quiet, a few even sneaking out of the city in the dead of night, not planning on returning. Maybe it was because Dana and Simin were gone.

Maybe it was the wanted posters plastered around the city, the ones that meant Nabooru, Aveil, Kian, and Ganondorf could no longer go out any time they wanted. Not without taking precautions and planning all kinds of escape strategies in case they were recognised.

Things were changing, and not in Link and the others' favour. Captain Impa was really cracking down, it seemed.

Still, they did what they could. And even if it didn't feel like enough at least they were doing _something_. Link hated the idea of just languishing, watching their home steadily crumble around them.

They ended up doing less stealing and more trying to intimidate guards whose heads had grown too big, who thought they could do as they liked to anyone who couldn't pay them off or who didn't get out of the way fast enough. Ones who revelled in flaunting their authority, abusing it to teach the people they were supposed to be protecting some twisted kind of lesson.

Link hated them. They were so much worse than the incompetent soldiers he was used to, and even if they were a minority it was hard to see them that way when it was all he saw, day in and day out. Sure, he deliberately sought them out, but the fact they were there in the first place was telling all on its own.

Did Impa know about it? Link found it hard to believe she'd let something like this slide. Even if he'd never really got along with her he knew she was a good person. She couldn't let injustice like this go unchecked any more than he could. Or at least, he'd always thought so. But now that he was constantly looking over his shoulder for her she seemed to be nowhere to be found; it felt like it was just him and his friends, alone against the world.

But as bad as things seemed to be, they still hadn't hit rock bottom. Link tried to stay positive, to seek out the silver linings where he could. He still had his friends, and even if it was only a little he was still able to help people. Ganondorf was still at his side, still intent on doing good. That was the most important thing in the end, wasn't it? That the wheel of fate stayed broken, that they continued on their unprecedented path. Side by side, doing _good_. Link didn't have to worry about sages, or temples, or fighting to the death against some impossibly powerful force set on destroying Hyrule.

No, that impossibly powerful force was on Link's side this time, and was slowly gaining some measure of control over said power.

It seemed silly to Link that Ganondorf would choose now, when they were back in the city surrounded by people who could end up as collateral damage, to start testing out the limits of his magic. Link often found him sat somewhere in their current safe house, brows furrowed and mouth set as he tried to move some object or summon little balls of bright golden energy that always set Link a little on edge. He'd been on the receiving end of that power more times than he cared to remember.

And sure enough, once he'd got over his reservations and fears of hurting someone, once he'd found some measure of confidence in himself, Ganondorf's abilities started growing. Link always found himself torn between pride and a more instinctual apprehension whenever he thought about it, but he had bet his entire world on this particular gamble and all he could do was have faith in his friend. If anything, Ganondorf's own hesitancy out in the forest was reassuring; if he didn't want to hurt people he wouldn't let power go to his head.

Link hoped. He knew the pull of the Triforce all too well, and his just made him stupidly reckless. Ganondorf probably had a long fight ahead of him.

Well, for now they had better things to worry about than the distant future and the Goddesses' design. Their corrupted home, for example.

It was a regular day when rock bottom loomed closer. It was just a regular day; chilly, lit with bright, cold sunlight, the city bustling as it always was in the morning, no matter the season. Link and Ganondorf were holed up in the dining room of the week's safe house, Link struggling through a dusty tome in Old Hylian he'd found up in the attic, Ganondorf lazily juggling a couple of little energy balls. Their gentle crackling was the only sound, aside from the occasional turning page and the constant low murmur of the city outside. Aveil and Nabooru were out probably making mischief, Kian and Maram shopping. Maram because of the six of them she was the only one besides Link who didn't see their face on a poster every few streets, Kian because he didn't seem to care much about said posters. He could usually charm himself out of dangerous situations, anyway.

It was a peaceful, lazy day.

And then the front door crashed open.

Link was on his feet in an instant, dagger in hand, expecting to hear the clatter of armour or a barked order from Impa as they were finally found, finally arrested.

Instead he got a shriek, so out of character and frantic it froze him for a moment.

'Ganon- Ganondorf!' It was Maram, Link was pretty sure, but it was a little hard to tell with her voice as cracked and high as it was. ' _Ganondorf!'_

There was a thud, a pained groan, and then Ganondorf was flying out of the room. Link, still frozen, listened to his heavy footsteps; they got halfway down the hall and then stopped dead. Someone was crying, half-swallowed sobs that were painful to listen to.

'Oh, _goddesses_.' Ganondorf's choked oath was what finally broke Link out of his daze and he made his own way out into the hall, stopping just past the threshold when his legs locked up all over again.

The front door hung open, the cold winter light spilling through it to fill the usually gloomy hall, and in it, starkly illuminated, sat Maram, her hands and shirt bloody, her face shiny with tears. Next to her, slumped half in the door, lay Kian. He was bleeding. A lot.

'What happened?' Link's legs unfroze and he strode down the hall, worming his way past Ganondorf who still seemed stuck. Link caught a glimpse of his horrified expression as he passed, but ignored it.

'We- he-!' Maram tried to speak but got caught on a sob before she could get anywhere. As Link reached her side she took a huge breath, held it for a moment, then tried again. 'We were doing a supply run but then- there were these two guards and they- they were harassing these kids and then-' she paused, groaned softly, swiping at her damp face. Her fingers left red streaks across her cheeks. 'We went to tell them to back off and- I don't know what happened-! I guess th- they recognised his face-? But then every- everything just fell apart and then one of them just- just lost it and st- stabbed Kian-!'

As she spoke Link looked Kian over, rolling him onto his back carefully-earning a weak groan of protest as he did-and finding the stab wound just as Maram reached that part of her story. There was so much blood. Link's hands turned red in moments as he cut away Kian's shirt, surveying the extent of the damage.

A single stab to the stomach. Pretty deep. A little to the side. Probably not fatal in and of itself, provided they stopped the bleeding and got him to a doctor, soon. Link knew for a fact they didn't have any red potion or fairies to hand, so a doctor was their best bet.

'Maram, breathe.' Link finished cutting away Kian's shirt, lifting his gaze onto Kian's face. His tawny eyes were bleary, but open, his face pinched and drawn with pain. Conscious, that was good. 'I need you to keep Kian talking, make sure he doesn't pass out.' Looking over his shoulder Link found Ganondorf. 'Gan, find me some bandages as quickly as you can.' He turned back to Kian, raising his bloodied hands over the wound. 'Kian, this is going to hurt.'

He didn't give Kian any time to process that before he was pressing down on the wound, fighting back a sudden wave of nausea. He scrunched up his face but held strong as Kian choked on a cry, bucking slightly in a feeble attempt to escape the pain. There was nothing Link could do to help that, but he could sympathise. He'd had his share of stab wounds over the ages; he knew how much it hurt.

That being said, treating himself was so very, very different to treating a friend. His half-baked methods, the means to survive for just a little longer, were no good in this situation. Kian had to survive longer than that. He had to survive, full stop.

'Maram. Ganondorf. _Now_.' Link didn't need to raise his voice; they jumped to their designated tasks as soon as he said their names. Ganondorf's hurried steps retreated down the hall as Maram gathered Kian's head onto her lap, stroking his forehead and forcing herself to speak calmly, giving them all something to focus on. Link listened to her soft words to take his mind off the feeling of blood pooling beneath his fingers, keeping steady pressure on the wound.

He felt sick. As was turning out to so often be the case there was an awful lot of difference between remembering something and actually experiencing it. The little details were lost to time; the coppery smell of blood soaking the air, the thunder of his heart in his ears, the sticky warmth soaking his fingers, how red blood really was.

And then there were the new things; the wrenching panic at the thought of a friend dying right in front of him, Maram's hiccupping words, still a breath away from turning to sobs, Ganondorf's heavy, rushing footsteps somewhere behind them. The cold grey light, the murmur of the city as the world passed them by without the slightest care.

It didn't take long for Ganondorf to come rushing back, slightly crumpled bandages clutched in hands that trembled slightly when he offered them to Link. Link grabbed the bandages without hesitating and swapped them for his hands; it didn't take long for them to turn red once he'd pressed them down on Kian's stomach. Kian made a small noise of pain at the change, but otherwise kept his attention fixed on Maram, whose voice was slowly getting a little stronger.

'Okay.' Link took a deep breath, craning his head round to look at Ganondorf again, who was hovering a few paces behind him, face drawn and worried. 'Gan, you need to get a doctor.'

Ganondorf took a moment to process this. 'What if something happens- what if you need me? I can't just _leave_ -!'

'Yes, you can. And you're going to, right now.' Link fixed him with something akin to a glare, fighting to keep his voice calm. 'If you don't Kian's just going to get worse. So go and get someone who knows what they're doing. _Now_.'

There was a second of silence, then Ganondorf swallowed and nodded. He didn't say another word, just edged past them out onto the street. He didn't look back, just rushed straight off. Link could only hope he'd get help fast. There was only so much he could do without fairies or red potion, and he couldn't be sure he wouldn't make things worse trying anything else.

'How're you doing, Kian?' he asked, voice sounding strained even to his own ears, when Maram fell silent for a moment.

Kian coughed out a laugh and Link immediately regretted his decision to make his friend reply. 'Not dead just yet,' Kian managed, letting out a harsh breath through his teeth. 'It's not so bad.'

Link snorted before he could really help himself, and they all exchanged tense, brief grins. Maram was stroking Kian's forehead, a repetitive motion Link wasn't sure she could help in her worry. If his hands hadn't been occupied Link was pretty sure he'd be doing something similar. Maybe pacing, maybe completely freaking out.

Maybe he was glad his hands were full, even if they were soaked in a friend's blood.

All they could do was wait, but at the very least they didn't have to wait too long; Ganondorf returned shortly with their usual doctor at his heels, both of them out of breath. Things proceeded swiftly after that. The doctor did what they could, but doctors in this Hyrule never seemed to use red potion-in fact Link was pretty sure medical practitioners frowned upon it these days-and as a result there were worryingly few places that actually sold it.

Well, they would just have to make their own, then. Link knew the recipe pretty much off by heart.

Nabooru and Aveil returned about halfway through the doctor's treatment, also a little out of breath; they'd been alarmed by Kian's (understandable) noises of pain as his side had been sewn back together, and they'd sprinted a good fifty metres. Both of them ended up frozen on the doorstep for a few moments, and then they could do nothing but hover and watch, unable to get past the growing crowd blocking the hall. Link and Ganondorf retreated, making a little space, but Maram remained, Kian's head still securely on her lap.

Link eventually retreated further, heading off to wash the blood from his hands. Once he was alone in the washroom he finally let himself slump, watching his red fingers shake as the nausea he'd fought down rose up all over again. Why was he so affected? He'd seen countless stab wounds countless times, inflicted hundreds of his own.

But he'd never been faced with the potential death of a friend before. Well, not like this. Curses and spells were different. They were intangible, something he didn't quite understand. But blood and pain and tears he got. He couldn't get his hands to stop shaking.

He ended up spending so long alone in the quiet, trying to calm down, that Ganondorf came looking for him. When the door opened abruptly Link jumped a little, startled, but didn't straighten from where he was half lying across the counter the washbasin sat on, head on his folded arms. All he did was crane his head round, staring at Ganondorf in bleary, fatigued silence.

'The doctor's finished,' Ganondorf said as he leaned against the doorframe, looking no better than Link felt. 'The girls are moving Kian somewhere more comfortable than the doorway.'

Link made an incoherent sound in response, just acknowledging Ganondorf's words. Somehow his hands were still red-he hadn't got round to washing them yet-and for some reason he couldn't stop staring at them.

'You were pretty impressive back there,' Ganondorf said after a moment, and Link got the impression he just wanted to fill the silence. 'I completely froze but you… how did you stay so calm?'

'Force of will,' Link replied, voice cracking a little, and despite himself he smiled a little when Ganondorf snorted. 'I'm kind of used to stuff like this.'

'Wait, you are-?' Ganondorf paused. 'Oh, right. You mean because of all your, uh, past lifetimes?'

Nodding a little Link rubbed his fingers together, watching the blood flake off in places. 'Not used to watching friends bleed out in front of me, though.'

There was a pause, and Link glanced back up at Ganondorf, who was frowning at him. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Ganondorf waved his hands in an absentminded kind of gesture.

'Clean yourself up, we need to see about getting our hands on some red potion,' he said, only slipping back out of the room when Link nodded and hauled himself upright.

He washed his hands as instructed, staring at the water, now a coppery orange shade, for a moment before heading out to find the others. They were all in the safe house's main room, sat around Kian who was lying on a hastily made up bed off to one side. For some reason Link expected him to look better, but he didn't. His face was still pinched tight, fingers tapping in a mindless, distracting rhythm against his chest even as he replied to something Nabooru had said. At least he wasn't bleeding everywhere anymore. In pain and alive was better than dead.

All faces turned towards Link when he entered, all voices fading away into nothingness. Nobody said anything. Link didn't feel inclined to break the silence as he crossed the room to join them, folding himself onto the floor next to Aveil who offered him a tight smile.

'So. Red potion.' It was Nabooru who spoke first, one of her feet tapping restlessly; the only outward sign of her worry. 'We can try to find someone who has some in the city, or we can make our own.'

'I, for one, am not inclined to wait,' Ganondorf said after a moment. 'We have no idea if there's any in the city, or how long it'll take for some to show up, so I say we don't take any chances and just make our own.'

'Maram or Link are the only ones who can look inside the city,' Aveil murmured, glancing between them as she said their names. 'We don't want to risk someone else getting stabbed.'

'Well, there's five of us,' Ganondorf said, expression thoughtful, 'so that means four of us can go out and search. Someone has to stay with Kian, obviously, but Maram or Link can check in with the merchants while whoever's left can gather ingredients.'

'It shouldn't take long to find them, if you know where to look,' Link added, making a mental list of everything they'd need. The mushrooms and red chu jelly were the only things they probably couldn't easily find in the city. Lucky he knew where to find them outside of it anyway, then.

'I'll look around the city,' he offered as every lapsed into silence, and they all looked at him. He shrugged a shoulder, raising his eyebrows to prompt them to step up as well. They all glanced at one another, then set about planning. Link drew up a list of ingredients for five separate recipes and it was decided that the girls would all head out to find the more obscure ingredients. Nabooru and Aveil would head to Faron Woods to find the elusive mushrooms, Maram to the pass south of Lake Hylia for the red chus. Ganondorf would stay with Kian, who already seemed fed up with the invalid treatment.

They wasted no time once things were decided. Aveil, Nabooru, and Maram all hastily gathered what they'd need for travelling, and Link saw them off before heading out into the city himself. Unsurprisingly he was empty handed at the end of the day, because the goddesses just couldn't make anything easy for him. Now he had to sit and wait while one of his friends teetered dangerously on the brink of death.

There was nothing he could do, except change the dressing on Kian's wound and watch the skin around it gradually grow red and inflamed. There was nothing he could do, except try and keep Kian's mind off of the pain, the very real threat of dying.

Link had never felt so helpless, not in all his lifetimes. It wasn't like all those times he'd been beaten down, faced with an enemy he was sure he could never hope to beat, his nerves completely frazzled, worn and weary and _hopeless_. This wasn't something he could fight against, wasn't something he could change just by force of will and dogged determination.

No, he couldn't do _anything_. And it was so much worse.

And when he woke on the third day to find Kian in the throes of an awful fever, gasping and shaking, too weak to lift his head to eat or drink and then unable to keep either down… well.

It took everything in him not to get up and start pacing, though he wasn't sure that he wouldn't just collapse and break down if he tried. This was awful. Where were the others? All he could do was sit in a room that smelt of sickness and death while Ganondorf scoured all kinds of books for some kind of magic cure-all, both of them wound up so tightly they couldn't be in the same room for too long or else they'd start snapping at each other.

Where were the others? What was taking them so long?!

And then, by the time they finally got back, it was already too late. Link brewed all five different red potions, but nothing stuck. Kian just threw them up like he did everything else. He was in so much pain, and it was so awful to watch. They were watching him waste away, watching him _die_.

Naturally, it caused all kinds of rifts between their group. Link stayed resolutely by Kian's side, as did Aveil, but Nabooru spent most days out of their safe house, Ganondorf carried on poring over his books, and Maram spent her time desperately searching for anything that could save Kian. Fairies might have, but it would take way too long to track any down so there was no point.

It felt like everything was lost once the arguments started. Everyone was on edge and too close to grief for comfort, so it really wasn't so surprising, but at some point they just started arguing at every given opportunity. Things started out small, just little digs or sullen comments, but somehow it escalated until Maram finally blew up.

'Why aren't you doing anything?!' she shrieked, and Link could hear her despite the fact she was a floor up. Judging by the direction her voice had come from Link guessed she had come across Ganondorf.

'What are you trying to do, holed up here all day, every day-' there was a series of thumps, like a stack of books being knocked over. '-with these useless books?!'

'What does it look like I'm doing?!' Ganondorf's voice was almost as loud as Maram's when he replied, and Link's heart sank. Ganondorf was usually the calmest of them all, so if even he'd reached breaking point…

'Nothing!' More thuds, more books hitting the floor. 'Hiding when you should be helping! You have magic, how about you use it? Heal him. _Save_ him! Don't just sit up here doing _nothing_!'

'Because you chasing every little ridiculous thing is better? I'm trying, Maram, can't you see that?!'

'Stop…' The small, hoarse voice made Link start and he looked round at Kian, who was staring up at the ceiling, eyes unfocused. His mouth moved soundlessly for a moment before he murmured, again, ' _stop_.'

Exchanging a glance with Aveil, who was sat nearby, Link gave one of Kian's cold, clammy hands a squeeze and slid to his feet. Making his way upstairs he followed the sound of raised voices, still arguing. He found Ganondorf's self-proclaimed study a mess, books strewn everywhere, Ganondorf and Maram inches apart at their centre. Neither one of them acknowledged Link when he entered, so he resorted to the only other method he had.

'That's enough, you two!' They both paused, then, as he out-yelled them. Two pairs of tired eyes switched onto him in surprise, and he switched to a more reasonable volume. 'Have a little courtesy. You really think fighting like this is going to help anything?'

'Like you can talk,' Maram muttered as Ganondorf's lips pressed into a thin, displeased line.

'Seriously?' Link shook his head, swallowing down the urge to snap at them. 'Well either way you disturbed Kian, so come apologise.'

At the very least they both looked guilty. And they followed him downstairs a little meekly, where a blearily amused Kian listened to them both apologise, Maram a little sullenly, Ganondorf more uncomfortably.

Everyone calmed down a little after that, settling around the room and occasionally attempting conversation though it usually fell short. Kian seemed to be the one trying the hardest, honestly, but as exhausted and wasted as he was by that point his words were hardly audible sometimes, his strength wavering and liable to vanish at any given moment.

This wasn't the death Link was used to. It was slow and agonising, full of sickness and awfulness. It wasn't the quick, bloody thing Link knew. But he refused to grieve, refused to mourn, just yet. There was still hope. Kian wasn't completely gone, there was still a chance he could recover. The thing about his going slowly was that there was a longer span for him to recover, too.

Useless as he was, hoping was all Link could do. Hope, pray, plead to the goddesses. Useless, _useless_.

It was just another opportunity for them to laugh in his face, though. Of course it was. Because when Kian fell asleep that afternoon he didn't wake up again. Because by morning he was stiff and cold and gone.

Kian was gone.


End file.
